April 5, 2011

Could young UConn repeat?

Connecticut figures to lose All-American junior guard Kemba Walker to the NBA and could lose Hall of Fame coach Jim Calhoun to retirement.

But if not, and if the remainder of the roster remained intact, the Huskies would be well-positioned to join Florida (2006 and '07) and Duke (1991 and '92) repeat as college basketball's only repeat national champions since the UCLA dynasty.

In addition to Walker, UConn started freshmen Jeremy Lamb, Tyler Olander and Roscoe Smith and sophomore Alex Oriakhi in Monday's title-game victory over Butler. That makes the Huskies the youngest champions in memory, if not tournament history.

Among the five reserves Calhoun used, Shabazz Napier and Niels Giffey are freshmen, Jamal Coombs-McDaniel a sophomore.

"I think in the future you're going to see Jeremy Lamb be one of the best players in all of college basketball," Calhoun said. "We keep forgetting, I get on him all the time, Alex is a sophomore. He's just grown into his game. Shabazz is going to be a wonderful player.

"The kid who has been in an incredible shooting slump but came on tonight [with four points and six rebounds] Niels Giffey. We have a couple big kids (6-foot-10 Michael Bradley and 7-1 Enosch Wolf) sitting out."

Moreover, the Huskies expect to add top-50 point guard Ryan Boatright to the fold.

The lone seniors who played Monday, Donnell Beverly and Charles Okwandu, scored four points combined in 21 minutes.

So bank on UConn as a preseason top-10 squad come November. Of course, the Huskies themselves proved how meaningless preseason polls are.

Butler's demise difficult to watch

Butler wasn’t a good shooting team to start. Defense, rebounding and old-fashioned grit carried the Bulldogs to their second consecutive national championship game.

But Connecticut’s defense, big-stage nerves and an unkind rim turned Butler epically bad Monday night, and frankly, it was painful to watch.

Certainly here in Reliant Stadium, and, I imagine, on television.

The Huskies bested the Bulldogs 53-41 for the program’s third NCAA title as their length and pressure harassed Butler into 18.6-percent shooting.

“I definitely think our length bothered them a lot,” said Alex Oriakhi, UConn's 6-foot-9 center said. “Roscoe (Smith), myself and Charles (Okwandu), I think, were pretty good shot blockers. Anytime they were able to drive into the lane, we tried to alter a shot or block it. I definitely think we were able to do that. That affected them throughout the whole game.”

Oriakhi and the 6-8 Smith blocked four shots each. The 7-foot Okwandu blocked one and altered others as Butler missed a mind-bending 28-of-31 shots from inside the 3-point arc. Forward Matt Howard, the team’s best post player, was 0-for-7 inside, 1-of-13 overall, and the Huskies outscored the Bulldogs in the paint 26-2.

The Bulldogs led 22-19 at half but missed 22 of their first 24 shots after intermission. When Andrew Smith’s stickback ended a 6:23 Butler scoring drought, the Reliant Stadium offered a mock cheer.

So skittish was Smith that minutes earlier he passed on an open layup, instead kicking the ball out to Chase Stigall, whose 3-pointer from the left corner clanged off the rim.

Or a lot. The Bulldogs’ 33 attempted threes are the second-most in a title game. Illinois took 40 against North Carolina in 2005, and like Butler, lost.

“You know, we're just coming out of a locker room that's hurting, a locker room that's got a lot of pride because of the way our kids carried us this year and the way our five seniors have acted their entire career, what they've done for Butler,” Bulldogs coach Brad Stevens said.

“It's hard to talk about the game and really care about the intricacies of the game when you're talking about the personal relationships and the things that you develop as a team over time.”

Indeed, Stevens and his players have been admirable ambassadors for their school and sport these last two seasons. Reaching last season’s Final Four and losing an unforgettable championship game to Duke was remarkable; advancing to a second straight title contest was unimaginable for a mid-major with approximately 4,600 students.

That’s why only the heartless didn’t feel for Butler as shot after shot, most contested but some not, bounced off the iron.

“Butler gave us everything that we could handle,” UConn coach Jim Calhoun said . “It was a tough and physical game. We were up 10 points and it still seemed we were up one. Brad has done an incredible job. Their kids compete. They run their offense full speed.

“I'm sorry I didn't say that right off the bat. They were a magnificent opponent. We just happened to be a little better tonight.”

“It's really hard to put that into words right now 'cause, we wanted a little bit more,” Howard said of his senior class’ legacy.“But you know, maybe at some point I can look back and be proud of what this group has accomplished.”

“What they've done is remarkable,” Stevens said of his players, “and can't be overstated.”

UConn's Jim Calhoun talks retirement

At age 68, a third national championship won and a three-game NCAA suspension looming next season, Connecticut coach Jim Calhoun addressed his possible retirement moments after Monday's title-game victory over Butler here in Houston.

His response:

"I was riding in an airplane a number of years ago with a guy I became incredibly close to, that's [former North Carolina coach] Dean Smith. Coach Smith was kind enough when I was coaching at Northeastern University to allow me to spend a week down there, just watch the whole operation.

"In the midst of the conversation, because it was years later, getting near the end of Coach's career, he said to me, 'One thing you should always do is be who you are and be true to yourself. And the worst time to make a decision about any kind of coaching situation is to do it in the great emotion of great things happening to you or maybe last year when an 18-16 year was not the kind of season that team should have had. ... Give yourself some time, some space.'

"As I said yesterday, and I still know today, I know who I am. I didn't know I was necessarily going to do this. ... This is absolutely special. ... [Former Georgetown coach] John Thompson mentioned to me on the sidelines simply that everybody kept telling me that I coached against a young coach [Butler's Brad Stevens], 34, you know. ... Had already been coaching five years in Division I when he was born. But John made a point that maybe some old, experienced guys can do a good job along with some young guys, too.

"Simply it's going to be what I feel passionately, can I give the kids everything humanly possible that I can? If I can, I'll coach as long as I can keep on doing it. If I decide that I don't, then I'll move on to something because I do have an incredible life with my family and friends and other things that I do."

* The 18.8 was the third-lowest percentage in any NCAA tournament game. Springfield shot 12.7 percent against Indiana in a 1940 regional semifinal, and Harvard shot 13.9 versus Ohio State in a 1946 regional semi.

* The Bulldogs' 41 points are the fewest in an NCAA final since Kentucky defeated Oklahoma State 46-36 in 1949.

* Butler made 12 shots and had 10 blocked.

* The Bulldogs three of 31 shots from INSIDE the 3-point arc. Matt Howard and Shelvin Mack, their best players, were 0-for-11 combined.

* UConn matched the title-game low for 3-point percentage (9.1), making 1-of-11. Duke also went 1-of-11 against UNLV in 1990, but lost by 30 points.

* The Huskies made 2-of-23 threes at this Final Four and WON the national championship.

* UConn's 10 blocked shots equal the title-game record set by Florida against UCLA in 2006.

April 3, 2011

UConn's Calhoun sees one downside to VCU, Butler

Connecticut coach Jim Calhoun sees one potential downside to Butler and VCU making the Final Four, the Bulldogs for the second consecutive year.

Inflated expectations.

“Here is my fear,” Calhoun said Sunday on the eve of his Huskies’ NCAA title game against Butler. “For every VCU, there's going to be a hundred -- that's too many -- 10s and 20, 30, 40, 50 coaches fired at mid-majors because they didn't do what Butler did. That's a fear, that they'll think everybody can do what Butler did.

“Butler is a unique situation in that it does have great history. Hinkle Fieldhouse is a great place and they have wonderful tradition. They have a wonderful young coach. The school is committed to academics and their basketball program. Some of the people who think that their coach should do the same need to look to itself, Are you committed as Butler is?

“It gives a great deal of hope. When I was at Northeastern {during the 1980s] we made five NCAA tournaments, the chance of us getting to a Final Four, even with great players, were almost nonexistent. They had 18 scholarships in some of the bigger programs [today’s limit is 13]. We were fortunate, we got a couple pros, one great one, God rest his soul, Reggie Lewis, who played for the Boston Celtics. We had four or five guys going on to the NBA. That doesn't exist anywhere near as much as it did at one particular time.

“I think [mid-majors competing for the national title] is good for college basketball. I think if it starts around 2012, 2013, it would be a wonderful thing. I do think there's a chance for it happening. I would have told you 10 years ago no way. But I would tell you, yeah, there's a chance for it happening.”

Butler coach Stevens steals Sunday show

Brad Stevens has coached Butler to its second consecutive national championship game. He’s 34, bright, engaging, principled and self-effacing.

And the man can X-and-O his backside off, witness his Bulldogs’ 2010 and ’11 postseason runs.

“If he's … prototypical of what's ahead in coaching, we're in great shape,” Connecticut’s Jim Calhoun said on the eve of Monday’s national title game against Butler here in Houston.

Stevens’ interview session Sunday affirmed that faith, and here are some highlights.

* On the “Butler way” that he inherited from predecessors such as Todd Lickliter, Thad Matta and Barry Collier: “Well, I think it's not rocket science. It's a values-based organization driven by a mission and a vision like every other business in the world or every other collective group in the world.

“The key in any endeavor is adhering to those standards and trying to live up to those standards, not trying to worry about anything else. It's hard to do and easy to talk about. I think it begins with selflessness, and certainly accountability is very important, humility is very important. You kind of go through those founding principles.

“We always talk about it this way with the team. The only way we address the 'Butler Way' with our team is in this regard: People know they've seen and felt something special, they just can't put their finger on it. That's the only thing we ever talk about with regard to that phrase with our team.”

* On his memories of Gordon Hayward’s potential game-winning, half-court shot against Duke in last year’s title game: “You know, it's such a low-percentage shot made better because he's such a good player. You know what the result is probably going to be. I said this last night, there were absolutely no regrets last year. I had no regrets. After watching the film again of that Duke game, even less.

“Our guys played as well as they could have. They represented themselves in an unbelievable manner throughout that whole game. That might be the reason why we had parades, too, even though we lost. It was remarkable the way people treated us even though we lost.”

* On whether he roots for other underdogs: “You bet. I have to say I'm one of the guys screaming at the TV when TCU doesn't get a spot to play for the national championship (in football). I was told this, I never saw this, but I guess (Boise State quarterback) Kellen Moore was at our game last year in Salt Lake City wearing a Butler T-shirt.

“That's pretty cool. Our guys rallied around that. Every time Boise would play, they'd be talking about that the next morning. I think that's a pretty neat deal. Certainly we understand what they're going through in a lot of ways.”

* On having nine players from Indiana on the roster and whether there’s a “Hoosiers” ethos on the team: “I don't know if that specifically has helped this team achieve something. But I do think this is something how a lot of these guys were raised. I was a kid that grew up 20 minutes outside of Indianapolis. Best birthday present I got when I was eight years old was a basketball hoop on my driveway. I think a lot of these guys share that.

“I know that there is a passion for the game and a passion for a team in a lot of communities that goes beyond the norm. I think Connersville [forward Matt Howard’s hometown] has been certainly much publicized, a great example of that. It's so true. You go to a game there when Matt was playing, it was such a vibrant, electric atmosphere. To think they sent 1,400 people from their town to Hinkle on Senior Day is just remarkable. That's an example of all of our Indiana kids, kind of how they've grown up.”

* On getting his players to forget last season’s praise while preparing for this season’s opener against Louisville: “It's not easy. Louisville has a whole preseason of preparation and really well-coached, really talented, really athletic. Our guys had a whole … whole offseason with pats on their back. We thought we were preparing really well and we got blasted (88-73). I think I learned a lot that game about just how hard this target is going to be. It took us a while.

“You know what, I think we have humble guys. I just don't think we knew. It's not because we didn't ask. We asked everybody we could find. I reached out to anybody and everybody that could talk about it. But I think it's something you go through and you learn from and maybe we'll be better at it the next time.

“I think there's certainly something to it. Regardless of what happens tomorrow, we'll probably have an article or two written about us during the summer. Your kids are proud and share a lot of pride in that. Everybody is talking to them about how great they are, everybody else in your league and everybody else has it circled. That's part of it.

“That's the beauty of what this team has accomplished this year, in my opinion. Maybe if we're a 1 or 2 seed, we don't get here. But because we were an 8, we could play with a little bit less pressure as we enter the tournament. May have been a good thing.

* Finally, this from Friday’s interviews about reaching consecutive Final Fours: “Here's what I think, and maybe it's because we all think too much and are too analytical in it. But the results that you get from getting the trophy, from cutting down the nets, from making it back to a Final Four are great.

“But in these runs, the way teams come together and the fight you have to show to get there, those intangibles are so much greater. I'm telling you, it would not have mattered. If we would have lost the (Horizon League tournament final) to Milwaukee, not gotten in the NCAA tournament, I would have felt like we had a really good year … because we had turned the corner, stayed together, fought through tough times.

“I know it sounds corny, I know it's not the way the world is viewed, because we're certainly viewed in wins and losses, but it is so much about the journey. I think when you focus on that, it's so much more fulfilling.”

Don't expect VCU to match Butler's Final Four repeat

VCU coach Shaka Smart scoffed Saturday when a reporter asked if the Rams’ Final Four was a “once-in-a-lifetime run.”

“Of course it's not,” Smart said after VCU’s semifinal loss to Butler. “We're going to try to do this every year. It's not easy, there's no question about it. In our program, we're going to continue to build.”

That’s exactly how a coach should respond, but truth be told, VCU’s post-Final Four is more likely to mirror George Mason’s than Butler’s.

Mason in 2006 became the first mid-major to reach the Final Four since Penn in 1979, falling to eventual champion Florida in the semifinals. But the Patriots lost the core of that team to graduation and dipped to 18-15 the following season, 9-9 in the Colonial Athletic Association.

Jim Larranaga’s program returned to the NCAA in 2008, losing in the first round, and advanced one round in the tournament this year. Mason’s next Final Four? I’d bet on never rather than soon.

The Horizon League’s Butler went a step farther last season, reaching an epic title game against Duke. But of the nine Bulldogs who scored versus Duke, six returned, earning Butler a No. 17 national ranking this preseason.

So the Bulldogs’ return to the title game, while surprising, is not stunning.

VCU returning to the Final Four next season would be. Four of the Rams’ top five scorers are seniors: Jamie Skeen, Brandon Rozzell, Joey Rodriguez and Ed Nixon.

Preseason top 25? VCU figures to trail George Mason in preseason CAA voting.

Rising senior guard Bradford Burgess is an al-conference talent, and freshmen Juvonte Reddic and Rob Brandenberg flashed potential this season. Redshirts Reco McCarter and Heath Houston will bring size to the backcourt and frontcourt, with incoming rookie guards Treveon Graham and Briante Weber, the latter from Chesapeake’s Great Bridge High, completing the roster.

“This was a terrific run,” Smart said. “Are we capable of doing it again? Sure. No question. If we're capable of coming together as a group and playing aggressive, confident, loose basketball, and we have the right guys out there, it's certainly possible.”

Possible, yes. But very unlikely.

Merely returning to the tournament next year would build upon this season’s amazing success.

Sounds like Shaka Smart will be back at VCU

Maybe VCU coach Shaka Smart will parlay the Rams' improbable Final Four appearance into a marquee job worth millions. Maybe Saturday's 70-62 loss to Butler here in Houston was his final game with the Rams.

But it sure didn't sound like it when a reporter asked Smart if VCU's run was a once-in-a-lifetime deal.

"You don't know me very well if you ask that," Smart said. "Of course it's not a once-in-a-lifetime run. We're going to try to do this every year. It's not easy, there's no question about it.
In our program, we're going to continue to build.

"This is my second year. You know, we've got a lot of things that we still want to accomplish. This was a terrific run. Are we capable of doing it again? Sure. No question. If we're capable of coming together as a group and playing aggressive, confident, loose basketball, and we have the right guys out there, it's certainly possible."

VCU is not unaccustomed to coaches bolting quickly. Jeff Capel left after four seasons for Oklahoma, Anthony Grant after three for Alabama. Smart after two would continue the countdown.

But Saturday night he sounded like a coach who plans on sticking around. Good for him.

As Capel, fired after five seasons at Oklahoma, can attest, the grass ain't always greener.

April 2, 2011

Butler's defense smothers VCU's shooters

VCU made four of its first eight 3-pointers Saturday against Butler to claim an 8-point lead.

"I was nervous as heck when they started making all those threes early," Bulldogs coach Brad Stevens said. "I thought our rotations were OK, but not probably good enough. But then our guys adjusted pretty well."

I'll say. VCU missed 10 of its last 14 threes, and without the long-range magic that fueled their run to the Final Four, the Rams were unable to survive Butler.

The final was 70-62 here in Houston, the Bulldogs advancing to Monday's national championship game against Connecticut.

"You have to start with ... transition, number one," Stevens said of Butler's defense. "I thought we did a great job matching up in transition. In fact, I only remember a couple of times where they even shot threes in transition.

"Number two is, they only shot one off of an action other than a ball screen all night that I can remember. So the most important thing is transition, number one. The second most important thing is ball screen rotations. ...

"But to their credit, they might be the best passing team we've played yet in the tournament. So they really whip the ball around, they make the extra pass, very unselfish, hard to guard."

Stevens and his staff scouted well. VCU was shooting a remarkable 43.8 percent from three in the tournament, most coming in transition and off pick-and-rolls. But while Jamie Skeen and Bradford Burgess made 7-of-11 threes Saturday, Joey Rodriguez and Brandon Rozzell made only 1-of-8.

"We wanted to be more on Burgess than we were," Stevens said. "To Skeen's credit, he has shot it ridiculously compared to what he did in the regular season throughout the tournament, has really enhanced his game. We wanted to be there on Rozzell, we wanted to be there on Rodriguez, make sure we make it as tough as possible."

That they did, thanks to Shelvin Mack, Shawn Vanzant and Ronald Nored. During one stretch, VCU went 18 minutes without making a 3-pointer.

"One thing they did do, which teams do to us sometimes, is they switched all the ball screens that involved our four-man," VCU coach Shaka Smart said. "Our four-man can really shoot. It's either Bradford Burgess or Jamie Skeen. There are things we can do to counteract that, but what it did for them is it took away open shots because they were switching and they didn't have two guys guarding one.

"But I thought our inability to get out in transition took away from some of the three-point attempts we typically have. Again, they did a great job scrambling and getting out on
shooters."

With four double-digit margins in five tournament victories, VCU is playing the best. But Butler is fierce defensively, and aside from last year's national-championship loss to Duke, the 2010 and 2011 Bulldogs have been flawless in the clutch.

UConn's five wins in as many days at the Big East tournament, the last four over top-25 opponents, are unprecedented. Kentucky has won 10 straight, and during that stretch limited every team to fewer than 70 points.

So who wins? I'll take VCU and UConn.

The magic number for the Rams is 10. If Bradford Burgess, Brandon Rozzell, Jamie Skeen and Joey Rodriguez combine for 10 or more 3-pointers, VCU is bank. If not, it's a taffy pull, and ask Old Dominion, Pitt and Florida how Butler fares in those.

UConn is more hunch than anything. As in, when undecided, go with the best player. And no player has been better of late than Walker, whose averaging 26.3 points in nine postseason games.

Calhoun, Calipari prosper despite early exits to NBA

Early departures to the NBA have affected few coaches more than Final Four combatants John Calipari of Kentucky and Jim Calhoun of Connecticut.

But there is a difference. While Calipari lost players such as Derrick Rose, John Wall and DeMarcus Cousins after one college season, Calhoun has never seen a player exit after his freshman year.

Still, don’t expect either to change recruiting tactics. Not when those prospects keep producing top-10 seasons and Final Four appearances.

“In the past 10 years we've had 16 kids leave early,” Calhoun said Friday here in Houston. “Most of them, you know the name, Caron Butler, Emeka (Okafor) graduated, actually, in three years, Ben Gordon, Donyell Marshall was the first, Ray Allen, Rip Hamilton, etc., a lot of kids.

“Generally speaking, in the recruiting process, we're going to go after the best kid we can. If we start hearing, ‘Coach, I'll only be there …’ We really don't talk that way at UConn. Presently, we have the first or second most NBA players. We don't need to talk about that.

“If it's so involved that you bring us to a Final Four, we're that good a team, you're that good a player, we'll encourage you. Like right now (junior guard) Kemba Walker, I know where he is in the draft, top 10 someplace. He probably needs, if the opportunity presents itself, to go. That should be determined by our success, your success, your growth, how you mature as a player and a person. …

“I want to have kids to come to help win for UConn. The rest of their career will take care of itself. I think history shows those kids have done incredibly well when they've gotten to the NBA.”

Indeed, only the naïve would expect big-time coaches to unilaterally disarm and back off top recruits angling for the NBA. As long as their athletic directors and presidents can tolerate the subsequent low graduation rates, their job is to field the best team.

“(If) I had these guys for three years, we wouldn't lose any games,” Calipari said. “That's what I say. The second part of that is, you really don't know if kids are going to be able to leave after a year. No one knows. I don't go in recruiting that way.

“I'm going to tell you, I don't like the one-and-done rule. Never have. But my choice is to recruit players who aren't good enough. I'm not doing that. My other option is to recruit the best players we have, the best students we can recruit, and then coach 'em and get 'em to believe in themselves, get 'em to reach their dreams. If that is done after a year, then I'll deal with it.

“It hasn't hurt us. We lost five first-round draft picks. We lost two players also on that team that started on the year before … and we're still here. I think the argument is you can't coach this way or you can't recruit good players, I just don't buy (it).

“Now, who knew that Eric Bledsoe, who I loved to death, (would be) able to leave after a year? He didn't play in the McDonald's game. … Who said that Daniel Orton, who didn't play his senior year in high school, 16 minutes for us, would be a first-round draft pick? We didn't know if DeMarcus would be quite ready.

“Guess what? By the end of the year, they were ready, I encouraged them to go. Because if it were my son, that's what I would hope a coach would do. So if we have guys on this team that I think when we look at this stuff, I'll encourage them to go. …

“I would coach (freshman guard) Brandon Knight for the next 15 years. I don't want Brandon Knight to leave. I want him here. But at the end of the day, these guys will have their decisions they have to make. If we've all done our jobs, they'll do what they think is right for themselves and their family.”

I’ve said it before and will again: Absent a strict NBA age limit of 20 or 21, basketball should follow baseball’s lead. Allow elite prospects to jump directly from high school to the pro draft. But if they don’t, make them wait at least two years – baseball’s rule is three – before allowing them to re-enter the draft.

April 1, 2011

Vitale to autograph VCU banner, auction for charity

Few, if any, complained more loudly than Dick Vitale when VCU made the NCAA tournament. So when the Rams advanced to the Sweet 16, fans in Richmond made a two-story high banner complete with the ESPN announcer's likeness.

"EAT CROW, BABY," read the banner, unveiled at the team's send-off last week to San Antonio.

After VCU advanced to the Final Four, the memento traveled here to Houston, where Vitale has graciously agreed to autograph it and auction it off to benefit the V Foundation, the cancer research charity named after the late North Carolina State coach Jim Valvano.

VCU athletic director Norwood Teague said Friday that Vitale and the Rams were scheduled to sign the banner at a downtown hotel later today.

Teague is especially pleased that proceeds from the banner auction will go toward the V Foundation, which has long helped fund VCU's Massey Cancer Center.

CAA, Horizon commissioners friendliest of rivals

Thirty minutes prior to Butler’s NCAA tournament opener against Old Dominion in Washington, D.C., the teams’ conference commissioners kibitzed in the tunnel leading to the Verizon Center court.

Tom Yeager has led the Colonial Athletic Association for each of its 26 years, and Thursday signed a four-year contract extension. Jon LeCrone has guided the Horizon League for 19 years.

The long-time friends never imagined that teams from their respective conferences would collide again, two weeks later, at the Final Four in Houston.

“We were really a bit disappointed at the ODU-Butler matchup,” LeCrone said over breakfast Friday, “because one of us was going to get knocked out, and both teams were capable of making a deep run. … Old Dominion was really good, and I thought the CAA was very good and very deep this year, and very deserving of its three (NCAA tournament) bids.”

Sure enough, the Butler-ODU winner did make a deep run. The Bulldogs edged the Monarchs 60-58 on Matt Howard’s buzzer-beating layup, and subsequently advanced to their second consecutive Final Four.

And who awaits them in Saturday’s national semifinal here at Reliant Stadium? VCU, the fourth-place team from Yeager’s CAA.

“We root for each other,” Yeager said. “We’re not threatened by each other. I’m sure it’s like coaches who go up against very good friends. I’ve still got my Butler (Final Four) T-shirt from last year.”

Yeager and LeCrone go back three decades, to LeCrone’s time as an ACC associate commissioner under Gene Corrigan. As leaders of so-called “mid-major” leagues, they share the frustrations and satisfactions that come with competing against more established and moneyed conferences such as the Southeastern, Big East and ACC.

Missouri Valley Conference commish Doug Elgin is another member of the fraternity, and LeCrone credits him and former Mid-American Conference ayatollah Rick Chryst with conceiving the late-season BracketBuster games that match top mid-major teams in an attempt to enhance their NCAA tournament credentials.

“Those two guys sold it to ESPN and they sold it to us and Tom,” LeCrone said.

The expanded event has become a February staple, and BracketBuster victories over Wichita State were critical to George Mason in 2006 and VCU this season. In fact, without them, neither might have made the field, let alone the Final Four.

“Elgin, Jon and I are particularly close,” Yeager said. “I got a great note from Doug (when VCU beat Kansas in the regional final). Same thing when I was watching Butler beat Florida. I had a text to Jon already typed up and ready to hit send, and as soon as the buzzer went off, I hit send.

“In some small way we all share in each other’s success.”

The success began to mushroom in 2006 when the CAA’s George Mason reached the Final Four in Indianapolis, home to the Horizon League. Moreover, LeCrone was a member of that year’s tournament selection committee, which surprised many by awarding Mason an at-large bid into the field.

“When George Mason made the Final Four,” Yeager said, “Jon called and said, ‘What can we do?’ He offered tickets, everything. Last year when Butler made the Final Four, he called and said, ‘What changes when you have a team in the Final Four?’ ”

March 31, 2011

VCU recruiting Bradford Burgess' brother

Count Jordan Burgess among the few college basketball prospects lucky enough to make an unofficial recruiting visit to the Final Four.

A junior guard at Richmond’s Benedictine High, Burgess has scholarship offers from VCU and George Mason, according to Rivals.com. He’s also the younger brother of VCU guard Bradford Burgess, the Rams’ best player during their remarkable run to this weekend’s Final Four in Houston.

So rest assured that one of big brother’s complimentary tickets for Saturday’s national semifinal against Butler is going to little brother.

With the success of Richmond natives such as Burgess and Brandon Rozzell at VCU, Rams coach Shaka Smart was asked if the team’s Final Four appearance would enhance local recruiting.

“Duh,” would have been my answer. Smart chose to be more subtle.

“It makes an impact -- on one particular guy,” he said. “I’m not allowed to comment on recruiting, but those of you who know Brad know what I mean.”

Bradford, who also attended Benedictine, said he would counsel Jordan only when approached.

“That’s his decision,” Bradford said. “I want to stay away from it. I want to give him advice when he asks for it.”

But Bradford did offer a more general message for Richmond-area prospects.

“ A lot of guys want to get away from home, be on their own,” he said. “But sometimes staying home is the best thing for you, and that shows with me and Brandon.”

Like his older brother did, Jordan competes during the spring and summer for Boo Williams’ Hampton-based travel teams. You can check him out during Boo’s annual tournament the weekend after the Final Four at the Williams Sportsplex.

Look for tournament schedules and previews next week at dailypress.com and in the Daily Press.

March 29, 2011

VCU shooting lights-out in Final Four run

In its first 34 games this season, VCU shot 35.9 percent from beyond the 3-point arc, 94th nationally among 336 Division I teams.

In the five subsequent victories that carried the Rams to the most improbable Final Four appearance ever, they're shooting 43.8 percent from deep.

Ohio State leads the country at 43.2 percent for the season.

Why the dramatic improvement? How has VCU, which didn't make more than 11 threes in a game during the regular season, made 12 in three of its last four?

I posed those questions today to point guard Joey Rodriguez and coach Shaka Smart during a media availability at the Siegel Center.

"I think our defense has helped a lot," Rodriguez said. "We're getting a lot of threes in transition and scramble situations, and those are (in rhythm) step-in threes."

Rodriguez is right. The Rams have defended and rebounded much better during the NCAA tournament, fueling the rapid pace Smart prefers. Southern California, Georgetown, Purdue, Florida State and Kansas shot a combined 39.0 percent against VCU, 23.0 percent on 3-pointers.

"A lot of coaches like to put restrictions on when guys can shoot and where they can shoot," he said. "I try not to do that very much. I'm not going to say never, but a guy like Brandon Rozzell, you start putting restrictions on him, he's not going to go nutty like he did in the first half against Kansas. That broke the game open."

VCU's sixth man, Rozzell made four first-half 3-pointers, the latter three condensed into 2:35. The final dagger gave the Rams their largest lead, 39-21.

"And I did yell, "Shoot it" on Sunday, and he air-balled the first one, and then he came off (a screen) again, and I said, 'Shoot it again.' And he shot it again, and he swished it."

Rodriguez's air-ball came with about six minutes remaining. A minute later, his 3-pointer goosed VCU's lead to 60-52.

"I have that belief in them," Smart said. "I don't have to say anything to them. They know that, and I think that's what's allowed us to shoot the ball well. But make no mistake about it, you have to execute the plays and follow the plan offensively to get those shots against good defensive teams."

The Rams have done all that, and more, five games running. Can they summon two more?

March 28, 2011

VCU's bench excelling during Final Four run

Three of VCU’s five starters made the All-Southwest Regional team, and rightfully so. Point guard Joey Rodriguez, shooting guard Bradford Burgess and power forward Jamie Skeen, voted most outstanding player, were invaluable in leading the Rams to the Final Four.

But sixth man Brandon Rozzell also made the all-regional squad, personifying the contributions VCU’s reserves have made throughout this NCAA tournament.

In Sunday’s 71-61 conquest of Kansas, Rozzell, Toby Veal, Rob Brandenberg, Darius Theus and Juvonte Reddic combined for 22 points, 10 rebounds and four assists. They completely outplayed the Jayhawks’ more heralded reserves, led by Thomas Robinson and Josh Selby, who teamed for three points and five boards.

And the Kansas game marked the bench’s lowest production among VCU’s last four outings. Check out these numbers.

Against Georgetown: 28 points, six rebounds and one assist.

Against Purdue: 29, 10 and six.

Against Florida State: 30, 11 and six.

As during the regular season, when the VCU bench averaged 27 points, Rozzell has been the most reliable and prolific sub. He’s averaging 14 points during the NCAAs, two above his regular-season norm, has made 17-of-35 from beyond the 3-point arc and scored a season-high 26 points versus Georgetown.

Theus was outstanding against Florida State and Kansas when Rodriguez encountered foul trouble. Brandenberg blanketed Chris Singleton on FSU’s last possession in a 1-point game. Reddic and Veal helped VCU overcome FSU and Kansas’ extraordinary size.

Veal’s six points, five rebounds and 16 minutes marked his most significant presence since a Jan. 29 victory over UNC Wilmington.

“Toby Veal, he kind of looked like one of the Morris twins,” Skeen said, referring to Jayhawks pillars Marcus and Markieff Morris. “He came in and held his own. He (and Reddic) helped us out a lot, because that team was a load to guard.”

March 27, 2011

VCU Final Four by the numbers

Here are some stats and numbers to digest in the wake of VCU's upset of Kansas on Sunday.

* The Rams' regular-season high for 3-pointers was 11. Three times in the NCAA tournament, versus Georgetown, Florida State and Kansas, they've made 12.

* VCU's 53 threes are the most for any tournament team since Florida's 53 in 2007. The Rams have done it in five games, the Gators did it in six en route to their second consecutive national title. The tournament record for 3-pointers is 60 by Arkansas in 1995, when the defending champs lost the title game to UCLA.

* And the Rams aren't simply chucking-and-ducking. They're shooting 43.8 percent from beyond the arc in the tournament.

How good is that? Well, for the season, Ohio State leads the nation in 3-point accuracy at 42.3 percent.

Only task left for VCU is to "win the whole thing"

"Ever seen the movie, Major League?" Smart said. "I can't say exactly what the guy says, but they get in some situations, and there's only one thing left to do, win the whole blank thing.

"And that's all there is left to do. You get to the Final Four, it comes down to four teams, you and three other teams. You get two teams, if you're fortunate to win the first one -- we're not going to lose any belief.

"They asked me after the Purdue game in Chicago, they said, 'Are you worried about going back to Richmond and your mindset changing or your approach changing?' No, I'm not worried about that. Our guys know what it takes to win big games in the NCAA tournament. We did it in Dayton, we did it in Chicago. We've done it here in San Antonio."

Major League, by the way, has classic scenes and lines. Charlie Sheen at his comic best, and, by the way, my college classmate Kevin Crowley as one of the Indians' fans.

VCU coach gets away with foolish T

VCU coach Shaka Smart picked a lousy time for his first technical foul of the season.

After leading by as many as 18 points in the first half, his Rams led Kansas 43-36 early in the second half of Sunday's Southwest Regional final here in San Antone. The Jayhawks were on an 11-2 run, and Smart's troops were wobbling.

Rightfully steamed that Brady Morningstar's hack of VCU's Bradford Burgess hadn't been called a shooting foul, Smart rushed toward referee Mike Eades like a bull does the red cape.

Eades T'd him up, and Tyrel Reed made 1-of-2 subsequent free throws.

Kansas eventually clawed within two, but the Rams countered and won 71-61 to reach their first Final Four.

"I was mad at him," point guard Joey Rodriguez said of his coach.

Smart doesn't blame him.

"It's the first technical foul I've gotten all year, and the second one I've gotten in two years (as VCU's coach)," he said. "I was mad at myself after I got it. I kind of lost it a little bit, disagreeing with a couple of calls.

"I didn't even say anything, but I guess I charged out there and ran a little bit faster than I should have, which actually is the reason I got the other technical last year, too. I've got to control my pace as I move toward the officials."

What did Smart tell his players in the huddle?

"First, I apologized to the team for getting a technical foul, because you never as a coach want to be part of giving the other team points," he said. "Fortunately they only made one out of two. But I told our team something that I can't necessarily repeat verbatim here, but it was basically, forget about the refs, forget Kansas. This is all about us and we've got to do what we've got to do. And we did."

March 26, 2011

My top 5 regional finals

As matchups go, VCU-Kansas is tastier than the guacamole here in San Antone, but the Rams and Jayhawks will have to go some to crack my top five.

5. The tournament hadn’t seen a double-overtime Elite Eight game for 39 years when Michigan State and Kentucky collided in 2005 at the University of Texas. The Wildcats’ Patrick Sparks hit a last-second 3-pointer in regulation that required an excruciating five-minute replay review to determine whether his toe was on the arc. It wasn’t – barely. But led by Shannon Brown and Maurice Ager, the Spartans made 12-of-13 free throws in the second OT to prevail, 94-88. They lost to eventual champion North Carolina in a Final Four semifinal.

4. The 1983 West final in Ogden, Utah was my first and the fourth meeting that season between Virginia and North Carolina State. The Wolfpack was riding mystical karma and Jim Valvano’s coaching, while the Cavaliers were striving to conclude Ralph Sampson’s career with a second Final Four in three years. Virginia led by five at intermission and shot 73.3 percent in the second half, a seemingly infallible victory formula. But with Dereck Whittenburg scoring 24 points and the Cavaliers missing nine free throws, State rallied to win, 64-63, en route to the national title.

3. Leading by 17 points midway through the second half of 1998 South final in St. Petersburg, Fla., Duke was poised to pierce Kentucky’s collective heart again. But in six flawless possessions over 3:38, the Wildcats outscored the Blue Devils 17-1, and with 39 seconds remaining, Scott Padgett’s 3-pointer broke a tie and propelled Kentucky to an 86-84 win. Duke missed 14 of its final 17 shots, seven of its last 14 free throws. In Tubby Smith’s first season as coach, the Wildcats reached their third consecutive Final Four and won the national title.

2. George Mason defeated past champions Michigan State and North Carolina in the 2006 tournament, but an East final against Rudy Gay and top-seeded Connecticut in Washington, D.C., figured to end the Patriots’ dream. Sure enough, the Huskies led by nine at halftime. But after intermission, Mason shot 62.5 percent and made 6-of-7 threes, just enough to produce an 86-84 overtime victory. Led by Jai Lewis, Will Thomas and East MVP Lamar Butler, the Patriots’ starters, all from Maryland, scored all but two of Mason’s points. The Patriots lost to eventual champ Florida at the Final Four.

1. College basketball hadn’t crowned a repeat champion since UCLA in 1973 when Duke began defense of its 1991 title. The Blue Devils dominated the regular season, losing twice by a combined six points, and cruised into the ’92 East final against Kentucky in Philadelphia. You know what happened next. In a game of immeasurable quality and drama, the Wildcats took a one-point lead with 2.1 seconds remaining in overtime on Sean Woods’ excuse-me bank shot over Christian Laettner. Timeout, Devils. Grant Hill to Laettner, dribble, pivot, launch, history. Laettner’s 10th make in as many attempts. Duke defeated Indiana and Michigan’s Fab Five for its second consecutive title.

VCU recovered from late-season funk

On the morning of Feb. 12, VCU shared first place in the Colonial Athletic Association and boasted the nation's fourth-longest homecourt winning streak.

But that afternoon, Old Dominion battered the Rams on the boards and snapped their 22-game home run, 70-59.

So began a 1-4 close to the regular season that also included home losses to George Mason and James Madison, and a road defeat at Drexel.

As VCU prepared for the CAA tournament, coach Shaka Smart burned the February calendar in front of his team before a practice.

The exorcism worked. To say the least.

Relegated to the CAA's fourth seed, the Rams defeated top-seeded George Mason in the semifinals before bowing to ODU. They've since bested Southern California, Georgetown, Purdue and Florida State to advance to Sunday's NCAA Southwest Regional title game against Kansas.

"We got refocused," guard Bradford Burgess said Saturday, "recommitted ourselves on the defensive end. After he burned that calendar we had intense practices leading up to the CAA tournament, and it showed in all our games."

Last last night, after VCU's 72-71 escape of FSU, Smart discussed the reversal.

"We lost to George Mason, we lost to Old Dominion. They're both NCAA tournament teams," he said. "We didn't necessarily have our best and they did and they beat us. Then we went on the road. We won the BracketBuster against a Wichita State team. In the last games of the season we lost to teams that won 20 plus games and had terrific years.

"But ... we weren't playing necessarily our best basketball. But it's not like we were losing to bums. We were losing to very good teams. We needed to play with more defensive intensity. We needed to play with a little bit more urgency, particularly on the defensive backboards.
I thought going into the conference tournament our guys did a great job turning the page and putting February behind them.

"I thought we played well in our league tournament. Won two tough games and then came up short in the final against Old Dominion. But I thought that springboarded us into these games that we've had in the NCAA tournament."

The numbers illustrate Smart's points. In the four NCAA tournament games, VCU has harassed every opponent into less than 45-percent shooting, and other than against Florida State (47-32 deficit), the undersized Rams have been competitive on the boards.

"The bottom line is we're going to have to play much better than we did tonight to have a chance to win the game on Sunday," Smart said. "But our guys think we have it in us."

Busted play turns golden for VCU

When his team arrived here at the Alamodome for Friday night’s late Southwest Regional semifinal against Florida State, VCU coach Shaka Smart moseyed to press row.

There he watched a few minutes of Kansas’ demolition of Richmond and sat next to Tom Yeager, commissioner of VCU’s conference, the Colonial Athletic Association.

“Don’t be nervous,” Smart said to Yeager as he went to join his Rams in the locker room. “We’re gonna win.”

Nearly three hours later, with VCU trailing by one and 7.9 seconds remaining in overtime, Smart repeated the mantra to his players.

“We’re gonna win.”

A busted inbounds play and defensive stand later, the Rams proved their coach prophetic.

VCU 72, Florida State 71.

“Mayhem,” Rams power forward Jamie Skeen said of the final seven-plus minutes of regulation and the OT. “Mayhem.”

How 11th-seeded VCU (27-11) survived that mayhem to reach Sunday’s final against top-seeded Kansas will be relived on Broad Street for years (decades?) to come.

The victory puts the Rams, a team many said didn’t belong in the tournament, one step from the Final Four, one step from matching CAA colleague George Mason’s 2006 run.

Here’s how the last 7.9 seconds unfolded.

After FSU’s Bernard James swatted Joey Rodriguez’s layup out of bounds with 7.9 ticks left, VCU called timeout, and Smart set up the Rams’ favorite underneath inbounds play. When the teams returned to the court, the Seminoles called time, and Smart noticed one of their assistant coaches telling players what the Rams would run.

“They had it scouted,” Smart said. “It was a pretty easy decision to switch to something different.”

"Coach was calm, confident, cool and aggressive," reserve guard Rob Brandenberg said of the final huddle. "He knew we were going to get a good look at it. He told us we were going to win the game."

The new play, named simply “11,” called for Skeen and Brandon Rozzell to screen for one another. But they became entangled with FSU defenders, and Rozzell tripped.

Rodriguez was counting in his mind and knew the 5-second limit was about to elapse.

“I knew (we) didn’t have any timeouts,” he said. “I wasn’t about to do a Chris Webber.”

Rodriguez faked a long pass toward Brandenberg, and the motion caused FSU’s Deividas Dulkys, guarding the pass, to flinch. That’s when Bradford Burgess slipped wide open toward the basket, gathered Rodriguez’s pass and layed the ball in with 7.1 seconds left for the last of his game-high 26 points.

“It was a mistake on me,” FSU’s Derwin Kitchen said. “I was guarding Burgess and I turned my head the wrong way, and he slipped. … I thought we had somebody under.”

As he did at the end of regulation, when Kitchen failed to launch a shot in the waning seconds, FSU coach Leonard Hamilton disdained a timeout. Kitchen (team-high 23 points and 12 rebounds) raced upcourt, penetrated and kicked the ball back to Chris Singleton.

Seven inches shorter than the 6-foot-9 Singleton, Brandenberg blocked a shot that didn’t appear to beat the clock anyway.

“I wasn’t even thinking about a foul,” Brandenberg said. “I had to get the block or do something to distract him. Singleton’s a pro.”

Atrocious game management by FSU (23-11), ecstasy for VCU.

“Wow,” Rams reserve guard Darius Theus said, “just wow.”

“Tonight was the first game in the NCAA tournament, out of four for us, where we faced a significant amount of adversity,” Smart said. “So I was really proud of the way our guys battled and hung in there.”

The Rams’ adversity started when they led 62-53 with 7:37 remaining. Burgess was burying threes, Rozzell had shoehorned 14 of his 16 points into about five minutes, and VCU was dissecting the nation’s No. 1 field-goal percentage defense (36.0).

But the Rams scored only three more points in regulation. They missed 5-of-6 free throws and committed two shot-clock turnovers, and with 45 seconds left, Singleton’s right-wing 3-pointer forged a 65-all tie.

In the OT, Burgess’ sixth 3-pointer in seven attempts gave VCU a 68-67 lead, but after Rodriguez, an 80-percent free-throw shooter, clanged two, Singleton scored on a baseline drive to give the Seminoles a 71-70 lead and set up the final sequence.

But the story was Burgess, a junior from Richmond who matched his season-high in points, and who, in the last three games, has made 11-of-15 threes. This against defensive-minded opponents Georgetown, Purdue and Florida State.

“The scary thing is,” Smart said, “I think the best is yet to come for Brad.”

Now VCU heads to its first regional final. Is the best, still, yet to come?

March 16, 2011

UNC Asheville coach steals the show

Not sure what transpired at 1600 Pennsylvania on Wednesday, but betting the day's best news conference was staged by UNC Asheville coach Eddie Biedenbach, whose Bulldogs defeated Arkansas-Little Rock in an overtime play-in game Tuesday in Dayton and flew to Washington, where Thursday night they face No. 1 regional seed Pittsburgh.

But Biedenbach, a Pittsburgh native and 1968 N.C. State graduate, wasn't about to fuss about the travel.

"It's an honor to be in the NCAA tournament," he said. "My wife kind of shudders when I say this, I've said it to a couple of people that I have called, we're not one of the top 68 teams in the country. She says, 'You shouldn't say that. You should figure out a way to be clever on that.'

"And we aren't. And we don't try to say we're somebody we're not. But we're pretty good. And we can beat a lot of the teams in the country. Can we win six in a row to win a national championship? We can dream. I love Jim Valvano and the way he dreamed and coached from that side of it. But there's only a few teams that can win six in a row.

"The NCAA tournament, if they wanted to pick a true national champion, they'd have at the most eight or 12 teams in it. The rest of them it's gravy for those folks. They have no chance of being ranked No. 1 all season long. We might have had the most this year of any year up in that position but there's several teams that are really good. Ohio State is really good. Kansas is really good. The other guys in there, Duke and Pitt and Texas, they're really good. Those guys are tough.

"And then you get down there out of the USA Today top 25 and those other guys there, there's some really good teams in there. But teams that can challenge for a national championship winning six in a row? Not many.

"And these guys I've said before, I listened to John Wooden and we talked about Final Four several times about include everybody. He's from Indiana. Put everybody in the tournament, so one more weekend. And somebody came up with have 96, 32 play 32 and the top 32 they get byes and then let them go to the 64. I think that's a pretty neat idea too. But if you did, the 97, 98, 99 and 100, Seth Greenberg would be in there. (Laughter.)

"He'd be one of those teams and there will be complaining. There would be somebody out there, I don't know who it would be. But to complain if you're not the top 12, then you should be happy as heck to get in the NCAA tournament. This is fantastic. All over the country people playing in front of thousands of people on ESPN and national TV, I woke up this morning saw my own face on TV. We played the first game. I hadn't been on TV in since the Mickey Mouse Club."

Biedenbach was an assistant to Norm Sloan in 1974, when David Thompson led N.C. State to the first of its two national titles. He recalled the '74 East Regional final, staged on the Wolfpack's Reynolds Coliseum court, versus Pitt.

An airborne Thompson took a nasty fall that sent him, temporarily, to the hospital. He returned in the second half to an ovation that fits the basketball legend that he is.

"David Thompson took a shot and he was hit on the arm hard, and NCAA games get a little more physical than most, and that game was physical and he got hit and he took about a eight, nine-foot shot and it went about four feet because the guy hit him and he was frustrated.

"They took off the other end and he took off and he was going to do something. The look in his eye was wild. And he took off on top of the key, took a step and went up and that guy from Pitt took like a little 45-degree shot, and went and knocked that thing out of the air.

"But he caught his knee and foot on Phil Spence's shoulder, who is about a 6-9 guy and he went headfirst in. That was a terrifying moment. That was the quietest I ever heard of the Coliseum, going from roaring down to nothing. But I remember David coming back into the arena in the second half, and guys were crying during the huddles and then go out and play and then they'd come back and cry in there and won the game.

"Billy Knight played for that Pitt team and he was a great player. We recruited him hard at N.C. State and tried to get him to come, but he ended up at Pitt and then a great player with the Indiana Pacers."

Biedenbach, 65, coached Asheville to its first NCAA appearance in 2003, alebit with a losing record (15-16) despite winning the Big South tounament. Those Bulldogs lost to top-seeded Texas 82-61, and in 104 chances no 16 seed has upset a No. 1.

"Do we have to play perfect to beat a No. 1 seed?," Biedenbach said. "I don't know. I know that we can have perfect attitude, perfect effort. And I read a book one time, some of the writers out here are golfers, but it says golf is not a game of perfect. Well, neither is basketball, that's why they have turnovers and fouls and those things.

"So we're going to make some mistakes out there. We're going to do some things. We shouldn't miss some shots and stuff, but put those things in proper perspective and let's see if we can win a big game here."

Just perused a mock bracket from Jerry Palm, the bracketologist whom I most respect. Our only disagreement: He has St. Mary's in instead of Colorado.

One very interesting part of Palm's field: He seeded Old Dominion as a 5. And here I thought my placing the Monarchs on the 6 line was generous.

*********************************************************************

Almost 12:30 a.m., and Utah State just completed WAC victory over Boise State. Broncos powerless without blue turf, reckon.

Anyway, notice ESPN's Joe Lunardi has Southern California and St. Mary's in rather than the VCU and Colorado I prefer. Hey, reasonable folks differ, and truth be told, bracketology is his full-time gig, FWIW.

Just took another look at Trojans and Gaels, and I still don't like them. USC plenty of quality wins, but three hideous losses to teams outside top 200. St. Mary's one big win, over St. John's, countered by a loss at No. 320 San Diego.

*************************************************************

Back at ya at 11:30. Since the initial post, Akron has won the MAC, Santa Barbara the Big West, Alabama State the SWAC.

We have a potential bid stealer in the Atlantic 10 on Sunday. If Dayton defeats Richmond in the title game, the Flyers will bump someone from the field. In my bracket, that team would be VCU.

Another bid stealer would be Boise State, but the Broncos have fallen behind Utah State (in regardless) by 11 early in the second half of the Western Athletic Conference title game.

March 9, 2011

Ohio State AD has no business chairing NCAA basketball committee

Ohio State athletic director Gene Smith has no business chairing the NCAA basketball tournament selection committee this weekend.

Two reasons.

* His preposterous support Tuesday of Jim Tressel, the Buckeyes’ unrepentant rogue of a football coach, leaves Smith with zero credibility.

* The scandal engulfing Ohio State football demands his total attention and undoubtedly will distract him as the basketball panel is sequestered in Indianapolis to construct the 68-team bracket.

As you undoubtedly know, Yahoo! Sports on Monday exposed the button-downed Tressel as a fraud. For nine months he withheld from his superiors and the university’s compliance staff information that at least two of his players were involved in a federal drug case and the sale of memorabilia in violation of NCAA rules.

During a hastily arranged Tuesday evening news conference, Tressel strained all credulity by saying he didn’t know where to take the information.

“I don't think less of myself at this moment,” he said.

Excuse me? You’re not some rube from Rochester. You’ve been coaching an iconic program for 10 years and have a national championship ring to show for it.

The moment you know of anything that sniffs of an NCAA violation you don't walk to the compliance office and athletic director. You run!

For this blatant ethical breach, Ohio State suspended Tressel two games and fined him $250,000, the judicial equivalent of a 10-minute timeout for pulling your sister’s hair.

This weeks after Radford suspended basketball coach Brad Greenberg for four games for the cardinal sin of taking an ineligible player on a team trip so the player, from France, wouldn’t be alone on campus over Thanksgiving.

Keep in mind, the trip was to Charlotte. Via bus. Not to Maui via charter jet.

So you tell me which school has a firmer grasp on reality.

Greenberg's crime was rooted in compassion, Tressel's in cold calculation.

Smith added to the absurdity with unconditional support of Tressel.

“Wherever we end up, Jim Tressel is our football coach,” Smith said. “He is our coach, and we trust him implicitly.”

This is whom the NCAA entrusts with its signature committee? An athletic director who’s that cavalier about NCAA violations?

Despite the near-nuclear fallout, Smith plans to soldier on as committee chair this weekend, and NCAA officials have no plans to remove him.

“I am so lucky,” he said during a Wednesday teleconference. “As you know, I'm blessed with an outstanding staff at the Ohio State University. This committee is made up of a great deal of experience in this industry. They're very close, cohesive. We work well together. Then we're supported by a great NCAA staff.

“We have two committee members who were having personal family challenges that we talked about on Saturday morning in our conference call, tried to help them feel comfortable with their personal issues that are significantly greater than mine. They had to go through some challenges. Things worked out well.

“Logistically, the NCAA worked with me to handle my travel in a great way. I'm ready to roll, get this responsibility going.”

Sorry, but I’m not buying what he's selling. There's no chance the S curve and Virginia Tech's record against the top 50 will be foremost in Smith's mind.

Hey, I'm sure Smith is an experienced multi-tasker. But this isn’t like toggling between Facebook and Twitter. This is, as Comrade Fairbank suggests, walking a tightrope with your pants on fire.

Gene Smith ought to get off the tightrope and grab a fire extinguisher. He should recuse himself from basketball committee deliberations, return to Ohio State and starting cleaning up the Buckeyes’ scandalous football program.

February 18, 2011

Here's how 3 CAA teams can make NCAA field

Colonial Athletic Association officials spend basketball seasons pining for a second league team to make the NCAA tournament. Usually, they're disappointed.

Only in 1986, 2006 and 2007 has the NCAA field included two from the CAA.

This season is different. Vastly different.

George Mason and Old Dominion, ranked 20th and 33rd, respectively by CollegeRPI.com, are virtual NCAA locks, regardless of what transpires at next month's conference tournament, where the winner earns an automatic bid.

March 30, 2010

Grass not always greener for NCAA coaches

Brad Stevens has led Butler to three NCAA tournaments in as many seasons and this year guided the Bulldogs to their first Final Four. He's young, personable and qualified, the flavor du jour among "mid-major" coaches.

As such he's soon to receive big-money offers from big-time schools.

But before jumping at the next opportunity, Stevens, 33, would be wise to consider recent Butler history, which, coincidentally, involves his boss.

March 22, 2010

Cornell basketball?

Cornell football produced a Heisman Trophy contender who later acted in "Hill Street Blues." Big Red men's lacrosse won three national titles in the 1970s and returned to the championship game last year.

But Cornell basketball?

The school was 0-5 in four previous NCAA tournaments before upsetting Temple and Wisconsin last week to advance to the East Regional semifinals against blueblood Kentucky.

ODU knows Northern Iowa hero all too well

The first week of the NCAA tournament belonged to Northern Iowa. More specifically to Ali Farokhmenesh.

For all the drama produced by Old Dominion, Cornell, Murray State, Saint Mary's and Michigan State, none approached Northern Iowa and its 6-foot shooting guard, whose cold-blooded 3-pointers took down UNLV and mighty Kansas.

And for a precursor to Farokhmenesh's theatrics, look no further than Feb. 19, when he torched Old Dominion for a career-high 23 points, all in the second half, of a Friday night Bracketbuster game.

March 20, 2010

Baylor too good for ODU

The best team won.

Sure, Old Dominion fans can lament can missed opportunities and odd whistles, but the truth is Baylor is a better basketball game, and that difference is reflected in the Bears' 76-68 victory today in the NCAA tournament's second round.

The Monarchs rallied admirably from deficits of 14 points in the first half and 10 points at intermission. But Baylor was too big, too athletic, too good.

Midway through the second half, the game was as good as it gets with eight consecutive baskets producing lead changes. Frank Hassell battled in the post, and Ben Finney made three 3-pointers, but they weren't enough to propel the Monarchs to their first Sweet 16.

Once the 7-foot Lomars (12 of his 14 points after intermission) gave the Bears a 65-61 lead, they were in control.

But the Monarchs should be encouraged. In beating Notre Dame and hanging with Baylor, they proved themselves worthy, and with only one senior starter, it wouldn't surprise to see ODU back on this stage in 2011.

ODU's problem is defense

For the second time in as many NCAA tournament games, Old Dominion trails at half.

But the issue tonight against Baylor is defense. Whether in man-to-man or zone, the Monarchs are having trouble checking Bears guards LaceDarius Dunn and Tweety Carter. They have combined for 24 points as Baylor leads 38-28 on the strength of 55.6 percent shooting, 6-of-9 on 3-pointers.

When trailing Notre Dame by six in Thursday's first round, ODU was simply shooting poorly. The Monarchs aren't particularly accurate today, either, at 35.7 percent, but they are getting good looks against Baylor's 2-3 zone.

ODU guards Darius James and Kent Basemore appear unlikely to slow Dunn and Carter head up, so the hunch here is that coach Blaine Taylor should and will use more zone in the second half against the bigger, more athletic Bears.

Carter's bucket to close the half was big, but we still think the Monarchs will make a second-half run. Question is, can they play sustained stretches of effective defense?

ODU is outsized, but it leads on the boards 16-15 thanks to seven offensive rebounds, three by Keyon Carter.

St. Mary's Gaels would be next for ODU

Granted, this is a large if, but if Old Dominion escapes Baylor tonight in the NCAA tournament's second round in New Orleans, the Monarchs would next face St. Mary's of California, one of college basketball's best shooting teams.

The West Coast Conference Gaels, seeded 10th, advanced to the South Regional semifinals today with a 75-68 conquest of second-seeded Villanova in Providence, R.I. This on the heels of an 80-71 first-round victory over seventh-seeded Richmond.

As anyone who caught either of those games can attest, St. Mary's (28-5) is a blast to watch, playing with poise, precision and uncommon shooting touch.

ACC defies trends in tourney's first round

The ACC's worst foul-shooting team approached perfection, while the conference's best defense finally weakened. A rookie stole the show from his player-of-the-year teammate, while an annual underachiever did so again.

So transpired yesterday as five ACC teams opened play in the NCAA tournament, and the league completed the first round with a 4-2 record.

March 19, 2010

Wake Forest shows its mettle

The only NCAA tournament game involving an ACC team yesterday didn't end until after midnight in the East.

Wake Forest made it well worth the sleep deprivation.

Displaying grit many of us accused them of lacking, the Deacons rallied from an eight-point deficit in overtime to defeat Texas 81-80 here in New Orleans.

Wake closed the regular season on a 1-4 skid and then was summarily bounced out of the ACC tournament by Miami. All of which conjured memories of last year, when the Deacons lost their ACC tournament opener to Maryland and fell meekly to Cleveland State in the NCAAs.

ODU-Notre Dame intermission

The Monarchs are fortunate to trail only 28-22 at halftime.

They're defending well in both zone and man-to-man but simply missing too many open shots (34.5 percent for the period) for a turtle-paced game. Keyon Carter's 3 with 15 seconds left drew ODU within four, but Tim Abromaitis' left-wing jumper 10 seconds later goosed the margin to six.

The 22 points matches the Monarchs' second-worst half of the season. They scored 18 in the first half of a 66-61 loss to Missouri on Nov. 27 at a tournament in Texas.

Notre Dame All-American Luke Harongody, by the way, is not a factor. He's yet to score and in seven minutes committed two fouls and a turnover. Hobbled recently by a knee bruise, Harongody averages 22 points. He averaged 14 in three games at the Big East tournament in his first extended action since the injury.

Make a few jumpers and ODU can win. The Monarchs certainly aren't overmatched physically, though Irish forward Carleton Scott (seven points, six boards and one resounding, two-handed dunk) is clearly the best athlete on the floor.

Boo Williams reunion at NCAA tournament

As usual, the NCAA basketball tournament -- first tip is less than two hours away, so time to make that Siena-Purdue pick and submit your bracket for the office pool -- is replete with alums of Boo Williams' Hampton-based AAU program.

Here in New Orleans we have Kentucky junior forward Patrick Patterson, a ringer Boo imported from West Virginia for his 17-and-under all-star team years ago. Also, Old Dominion stalwarts Frank Hassell, Darius James, Ben Finney and Kent Basemore competed in Williams' program.

John Wall, Kentucky's All-America freshman guard and the presumptive No. 1 pick of the NBA draft, did not play for Boo, but he was a stunning presence at Boo's annual spring tournament two years ago. Not since Kenny Anderson in the late 1980s had we seen a guard so dominate the action at what is a showcase for top-flight Division I talent. In a word, Wall was indefensible.

March 17, 2010

Origins of Notre Dame's "burn" offense

The roots of the slower, more efficient offense that carried Notre Dame to the NCAA tournament can be found in Virginia's 1984 Final Four team.

Irish assistant coach Anthony Solomon of Newport News was a freshman reserve on that Cavaliers team, and as Notre Dame prepared for Thursday's first-round game against Old Dominion in New Orleans, he explained the connection.

July 2, 2009

Will NCAA tournament tweak matter?

As someone who spends excessive (obsessive?) hours handicapping teams' chances of making the NCAA basketball tournament, I was struck by Tuesday's announcement that the selection committee is discarding the "last 12 games" variable from its equation.

"Parsing a particular segment of games and implying it had greater weight than others seemed misleading and inconsistent," panel chair and Southeastern Conference commissioner Mike Slive said in a news release.

Big deal? Non-story?

Who better to consult than two former committee chairmen, East Carolina athletic director Terry Holland and Virginia AD Craig Littlepage?

April 5, 2009

Championship Eve

No more practices or interviews (both parties say amen to that). College basketball's national title game between North Carolina and Michigan State is about 27 hours away.

Some musings after Sunday's marathon gabfests.

This is the 30th anniversary of Michigan State's first championship. The Spartans' victory over undefeated Indiana State remains the most watched game in tournament history.

To mark the occasion, the game's principals, Michigan State's Magic Johnson and Indiana State's Larry Bird, will be in the house Monday night. Magic would be here regardless with his alma mater vying for a third NCAA title.

The Spartans are attempting to become the second champions to defeat three No. 1 seeds. Arizona did it in 1997, and among the Wildcats' victims was Kansas, then coached by Roy Williams, who now leads North Carolina.

But Michigan State would be the first to topple three No. 1s in succession. The Spartans upset Louisville in the Midwest Regional final and Connecticut last night with the Tar Heels on the horizon.

Here's a cool quote from Michigan State coach Tom Izzo on his fifth-year senior center Goran Suton of Bosnia:

"It's one of those love/hate relationships. He needs to be pushed. He wants to be pushed. He's an incredible guy. Very intelligent and very worldly. But there's times that he didn't love the game of basketball. I think he'd be the first to tell you. That might sound surprising to some. But it's more normal than you think. But I think he has grown to really start to fall in love with it I. I think the last year and a half he's worked harder at it, had more success."

Much has been made of Suton's absence from the Spartans' 98-63 loss to the Tar Heels in December. But that doesn't explain or excuse the hurting Carolina's guards put on Michigan State.

Ty Lawson and Wayne Ellington each scored 17 points in only 28 minutes. Lawson added eight assists and a career-best seven steals with nary a turnover.

Michigan State senior Travis Walton, the Big Ten defensive player of the year, will have to be much more effective Monday if Sparty is to have a chance.

"We may lose," Walton said. "But it won't be by 20."

Tar Heels small forward Danny Green had a quiet six points against Michigan State, less than half his 13.3 average, but he's playing well recently. Since shooting 3-of-25 in the ACC tournament, Green is 24-of-55 in the NCAAs.

He made four 3-pointers in Saturday's semifinal victory over Villanova, his most since a Feb. 3 win against Maryland.

"I think he is a complete player," Nova coach Jay Wright said of Green, a senior. "He can do it all. He can get his own shot. He blocks shots, he rebounds, he scores around the basket. He shoots 3s, and he's a veteran. You know, he's one of those guys that's been through a lot in his career.

"As coaches in college we understand probably one of the toughest things for kids to deal with that are great high school players is when they don't come in and they're not a star right away, or they have to come on off the bench. But he's dealt with that, and that's made him mentally tough."

In praise of Hansbrough, Reynolds

Former Boo Williams Summer League and Herndon High star Scottie Reynolds struggled in Villanova's Final Four loss to North Carolina last night, missing 12 of 18 shots, eight of 11 from behind the 3-point arc.

But that won't alter Wildcats coach Jay Wright's asessment of the junior guard whose last-second shot lifted Villanova over Pittsburgh in the East Regional final.

"You look at Tyler Hansbrough with that team in Carolina, and what he's done since he's been there," Wright said. "And that's what Scottie Reynolds has been for us. He's made a lot of plays like that.

"One of his great characteristics is he never fears failure. And he doesn't worry about what he looks like. He never worries about looking bad. He's all out, and he knows he's going to be all out.

"He gets a little out of control, and it's going to look bad. But most of the time he's making plays that people say, 'Wow.' He's making a lot of plays that other people are afraid to make. And he's got a great inner confidence. He really is a special kid. He never ceases to amaze me."

While Reynolds has one season of eligibility remaining, Hansbrough, the ACC's career scoring leader and Carolina's all-time rebounder, plays his final college game Monday night in the title game against Michigan State.

"I've said all year long from last June to today that every college coach in America should want Tyler Hansbrough to have a great year," Williams said. "So people or agents or runners or somebody won't say well, you better jump out while it's hot. You never can tell what's going to happen.

"This kid chose to come back to college because he loved college basketball, loved college life. He's done very well. The NBA has not folded. He'll still be a number one NBA draft choice. Every coach in America should have been pulling for him all year long so we can keep the agents and runners and those kind of people from trashing college basketball."

"But he's a unique young man. That is the best word that I can describe him. To me when something is really unique, that means you can't find many of them. And I don't think you can find many Tyler Hansbroughs. I've said before, and I'll say many times I've been awfully lucky.
But he is the most focused individual I have ever seen. The most driven to be the best player he can be. To try to get the most out of his potential. To listen to what his coaches say and to try to work on those things. He's just been an unbelievable joy to be with."

Calhoun on the couch

Often cranky, a cancer survivor, and now accused of NCAA recruiting violations, Connecticut coach Jim Calhoun was a gem after his Huskies’ 82-73 Final Four loss to Michigan State.

On how the Spartans have improved in the wake of Michigan’s economic blight: “I never thought they could do what they did to Louisville [in the Midwest Regional final]. I honestly mean that. [Spartans coach] Tommy Izzo is one of my best friends. He's a future Hall of Fame coach. He's probably going to win his second national championship on Monday.

“Yet I think in all honesty, and I truly, truly believe this, that they played different. We played Purdue. We played Michigan. We beat Wisconsin by 20. We've seen teams they played. We saw tapes of the games. And that's a different team. That's a different team. And they were different against Louisville. Special. They were close to a special team tonight. …

“That Louisville game shocked me. Not that they're not good, but I thought Louisville was playing the best of anybody in the United States. And by the end, it was a 15-point going away game.”

On his future, at age 66, after 24 seasons, three Final Fours and two national titles at UConn: “Would it be the other things in basketball could ever make me go away? Sure. But I love coaching. I love being with kids. I like the competition. I thought we had a chance with two minutes to go to win that basketball game. It's where I want to be. …

“Dean Smith gave me the best advice, Don't take it after your worst loss or your best win. Wait during the spring, make an evaluation, how excited are you to coach next year? And that's a great time to do it. That's a great time to do it. So therefore it's the same procedure I would use any year.”

But Calhoun, a 2005 Hall of Fame inductee, conceded the strain of NCAA allegations and subsequent criticism: “That's why Dean Smith told me at 67 he got out. It wasn't basketball. It was the other things. [People said] he wasn't winning enough championships. He was getting too old. … I love the kids, love the game. I don't plan to go anyplace. But I'm going to give a lot of reflection, maybe more reflection than normal, because of that.”

April 4, 2009

Final Four Saturday

Musings as we await the tip of Michigan State-Connecticut in four-plus hours, followed by North Carolina and Villanova in prime time:

Michigan State and UConn rank first and third, respectively in rebounding margin nationally. The Huskies are the only Division I team with two players averaging at least 10 -- Hasheem Thabeet and Jeff Adrien.

Which prompts a crucial question: How much contact will officials tolerate among the likes of Thabeet, Adrien, and Michigan State's Goran Suton and Raymar Morgan?

If the stripes let things go, the game could turn football fierce. If not, which team better handles foul trouble could be telling.

Speaking of stripes, word is that Hampton Roads resident Les Jones will be on the whistle in one of the games here this weekend. It will be Jones' first Final Four.

For what it's worth, the 7-foot-3 Thabeet has fouled out three times this season. UConn is 1-2 in those contests, including a six-overtime loss to Syracuse in the Big East tournament.

All that said, each team's leading scorer is a small guard. A.J. Price (6-2) leads the Huskies; Big Ten player of the year Kalin Lucas (6-foot) the Spartans.

Aside from the Final Four, the biggest sports story in these parts is the end of Allen Iverson's short-and-grim tenure with the Detroit Pistons. The team announced earlier this week that a cranky back will sideline Iverson for the remainder of the regular season and the playoffs -- if the Pistons make postseason.

Acquired three games into the season from the Denver Nuggets, Iverson failed to mesh with Richard Hamilton and Rodney Stuckey, dooming Detroit to its worst season in eight years. He becomes a free agent this summer, and heaven knows what the market will be like for a fading, 33-year-old future hall of famer who's never been the easiest of teammates.

He said all the right things upon arriving in Detroit, but when he returned from a 16-game absence to diminished minutes, he said he'd rather retire than play such a secondary role.

Watching Iverson conclude his career with some sad-sack franchise looking only to sell tickets would be depressing. Better to see him accept a supporting role for a championship-caliber team looking for instant offense.

Question is, could Iverson's ego handle such a move? History says no.

The most pressing question, however, is who wins tonight at the Final Four? In a chalk tournament, we'll stay with the trend.

Connecticut and Carolina.

The Huskies and Heels are too big, versatile and deep for the Spartans and Wildcats.

April 3, 2009

Roy rolls the dice

Following up our earlier point about media making too much of North Carolina guard Ty Lawson winning $250 shooting craps at Detroit casino:

Tar Heels coach Roy Williams was asked about it today, and his response was amusing, not to mention spot-on. Courtesy of the NCAA's transcripts service, here's his answer.

"We've had two of our guys go to the casino, Ty Lawson and Marc Campbell. I talked to them before they left. They're both old enough. It is legal. I find it humorous that somebody would want to ask. ...

"It's strange, if we don't want those kids doing it, don't put the Final Four in a city where the casino is 500 yards from our front door. And they got a great buffet in there. I mean, come on. ...

"The other thing is, guys, you know when we got here? Wednesday. I mean, I'm not gonna tell my guys they got to stay in the room and watch Bill Cosby reruns for four days, c'mon. Those two kids, talked to them. One of my video coordinators went over there with them, not that he needed to. ...

"I just told the kids, 'If you think you're going to do something questionable, talk to me about it first.' I have zero problems with Ty doing it. I went and gambled myself. The reason I did was not the same reason that Ty did.

"When I came here this year to play Michigan State, we stayed at MGM. And I went down and shot craps, lost, and we won the game. I go to Nevada, Reno, to play Nevada Reno, and I stayed in a casino, and I went downstairs and shot craps and lost, and my team won. So you got to be half an idiot if you think I'm not going to go gamble and lose money before this game.

"I have gambled, and I have lost. I'm doing every daggum thing I can do to win the game, including give Detroit my money."

As you can see, Williams is among the most superstitious coaches on the planet.

Hometown heroes

Luck, age and generous editors have conspired to send me to 24 Final Fours. Never have I seen a reception approaching the one that greeted Michigan State at its noon practice today at Detroit's Ford Field.

Kansas in Kansas City in 1988? Duke in Charlotte six years later? Oklahoma State's Bryant Reeves breaking a backboard in Seattle in 1995?

No, no and no.

Keep in mind that this is a football stadium, and as makeshift basketball venues go, stadiums stink like the Detroit Lions. But they do allow for larger crowds, and an estimated 40,000 filled the lower stands to see the Spartans.

"Unbelievable and amazing," center Goran Suton said.

"A normal practice day," Coach Tom Izzo joked.

Hardly. Just as these are not normal times.

Grim as today's new unemployment numbers are, it's worse in Detroit and in Michigan. Lame and trite though it may sound, the Spartans have given folks hope, inspiration and pride.

Better yet, they have done so with a distinctly Michigan and blue-collar style. The Spartans' roster includes nine in-state players, and Izzo is also home-grown. Moreover, the team's rugged approach -- Michigan State leads the nation in rebounding margin and has paced the Big Ten in that category 10 times in the last 12 years -- appeals to the state's gritty side.

"I'm sure some people would like to put things aside and come enjoy this experience with us," said guard Durrell Summers of Detroit. "I just want to tell them we're trying to bring (a championship) home for them."

Michigan State concluded its practice with a dunking display that brought the crowd to its feet. In return for the standing ovation, the Spartans scattered around the court waving to different sections.

"We have to show our appreciation to them like they showed their appreciation to us," said forward Draymond Green of Saginaw. "That's the least we can do."

Villanova followed Michigan State onto the court, after which about half the crowd exited, many to real-life worries about jobs, bills and insurance.

Lawson played at Bishop McNamara High before heading to Oak Hill Academy in southwestern Virginia for his senior season. Reynolds competed for Herndon High. Both were selected for the 2006 McDonald's All-American game.

But it was on the AAU circuit where they most crossed paths, Lawson on a squad from DC, Reynolds on Boo Williams' Hampton-based team.

"Ty is a cool dude -- he's very laid back," Reynolds said. "We get along great. We were roommates two summers ago at the LeBron James camp. We had an unbelievable time.

"We played against each other in AAU and in high school. We have matched up against each other and we have worked out with each other. I have good respect for what he has done this year, coming back from (a toe) injury and him kind of taking over that team. ... I didn't expect anything less from him."

Of Reynolds, Lawson said: "He is a fast point guard who likes to drive and get in the lane. And he is also a good 3-point shooter. ... It will be tough to contain him and make sure he doesn't (get) the shot he wants."

Reynolds made the shot of the NCAA tournament thus far, a last-second leaner in the lane to beat Pittsburgh in a classic Big East showdown in the East Regional final. He's not as fast as Lawson, but at 6-foot-2 he's three inches taller and is better at creating his own jump shot off the dribble.

The biggest differences in the two are shot selection and shooting percentage. Reynolds (15.2 points per game) is prone to force, and it's reflected in his 40.3 percent accuracy. Lawson (16.3 ppg) is far more patient and shoots a team-high 54.2 percent, a stunning number for a guard, even one who gets many of his points in the lane.

Lawson, by the way, unintentionally created a buzz here in Detroit yesterday when he told reporters that he'd made $250 at a local casino's craps table How this is news or an issue escapes me, no matter how strong the NCAA's anti-gambling rants -- if you don't like gambling, don't take your showcase event to a city with casinos.

The casinos are legal, and the 21-year-old Lawson is of age. If he wants to roll the dice, split his aces or even have a drink, have at it.

April 2, 2009

Motor City madmen

Greetings from Detroit, the Final Four and the coinciding national basketball coaches' convention.

Mix this many coaches with as many expense accounts and nearly as many gin mills and casinos and, well, the gossip flies.

Folks continue to praise new Virginia coach Tony Bennett as a strategist but wonder how quickly he'll transition from Washington State and Wisconsin to the ACC. They also are noticing Bennett's compensation package.

The trend started many moons ago with a zany 10-year contract for then-basketball coach Pete Gillen and continued with a deal that pays football coach Al Groh approximately $2 million, nearly as much as a far more accomplished guy at Virginia Tech named Beamer.

Bennett has three seasons' of college head-coaching experience, all at Wazzu, but Virginia made him the ACC's fourth-highest paid basketball coach, behind Duke's Mike Krzyzewski, North Carolina's Roy Williams and Maryland's Gary Williams, national title winners all.

Bennett is guaranteed $1.7 million annually, received a $500,000 signing bonus and will pocket $500,000 more if he completes his five-year deal.

At Washington State, Bennett made just north of $1 million and it's fair to wonder if Virginia needed to offer a 70-percent raise to get him.

Virginia Tech, by the way, pays Seth Greenberg, a two-time ACC basketball coach of the year, about half that, approximately $940,000.

Speaking of Greenberg, had Southern California coach Tim Floyd accepted an offer from Arizona, Greenberg would have been a logical candidate at USC. In fact, Orange County Register columnist Mark Whicker blogged as much today.

Greenberg, who came to Tech from South Florida, coached Long Beach State to the 1993 and '95 NCAA tournaments. His 49ers teams were 105-70.

Finally, while picking up credentials at Ford Field, each media member received a picture drawn by a local child. The lean economy has hit Detroit especially hard, and the theme of each picture was "Why I Love My City."

My picture, colored in purple, blue, brown, orange and green Crayon, was drawn by Amanda from Jefferson Elemantary School and shows a public library.

"I love my city because ... it's one of the biggest cities in Michigan," Amanda wrote in cursive far superior to mine. "It also has a library, and I love to read."

March 29, 2009

Future at Oklahoma

Following Oklahoma's 72-60 loss to North Carolina in today's NCAA South Regional final, Sooners coach Jeff Capel addressed the future -- his and Blake Griffin's.

Media, yours truly included, have linked Capel to Virginia's vacancy. Others have mentioned him for Georgia.

"My name has been mentioned every year since I've been a head coach," Capel said, "and I'm not going to get into it. I can't control what people write about me."

Virginia's search appears centered on Minnesota's Tubby Smith, but if he declines, athletic director Craig Littlepage would be wise to consider Capel, whose seven-year track record -- four at VCU and the last three at Oklahoma -- is impeccable.

Griffin is Oklahoma's 6-10 sophomore forward, an All-American who's about to win every national player of the year award. He had game-bests of 23 points and 16 rebounds Sunday, giving him 114 points and 60 rebounds in four NCAA tournament games this month.

Few, if any, believe he'll resist the NBA for a second consecutive year.

"It probably is (his last college game), but we'll see," Capel said. "That will be a decision that Blake will make for him, and it will be the same thing that happened last year. We'll sit down. We'll talk. And I'll get whatever information.

"I think it's easier this year to get that information. And he'll do what's best for him and his family. And we all will support him 1,000 percent."

North Carolina coach Roy Williams raved about Griffin.

"He's a load," Williams said. "You know, please don't misunderstand don't make this to be a comparison. He is LeBron James like, and he's got such a package of strength, explosiveness, touch, power. It's hard to match that.

"In person when you're sitting on that bench, it even looks more awesome than it does when I'm watching it on TV."

Yes it does.

Blake Griffin is a pro in every regard, a future All-Star. Here are some other observations we've saved about Griffin:

Syracuse guard Jonny Flynn: "He’s just so tenacious on the offensive end and on the defensive end. He controls the game.”

"“Blake Griffin is more,” Boeheim said. “He can do both … and he’s a better passer than those guys. … Clearly, I don’t think anybody has any question but that he’s the best player in the country.”

Michigan’s Anthony Wright: “One thing he had was great body control, and I didn’t really think that that was going to be one of his major strengths, but body control was probably the biggest thing.”

Michigan’s C.J. Lee on Griffin: “I like his demeanor and his composure on the court. He doesn’t really seem to get rattled or too high or too low.”

Capel: “It's pretty easy to coach Blake, because he’s the most driven kid I've ever been around and one of the most hard-working people I’ve ever been around. When you have a guy like that, it’s pretty unique. I always use the words to describe Blake as 'very unique' and not just because of the physical attributes he's been blessed with, but also because of the kind of kid he is, and because of how hard he works. A lot of times if you can have your best player be your hardest worker, then that makes things a little bit easier.

“Guys that are really elite players, they make the game easier for everyone around them. For some of our guys, with Blake in there, all they have to do is catch and shoot, because there’s so much attention to Blake. There’s double- and triple-teams. What he does for us rebounding. Just the presence he gives us at both ends makes the game easier for other guys.”

Except for Sunday, Griffin's presumped collegiate farewell, when the other Sooners couldn't match North Carolina's arsenal.

Memphis mauling

As 12-point basketball games go, North Carolina's 72-60 destruction of Oklahoma in this afternoon's South Regional final here in Elvis Country couldn't have been less compelling.

Oklahoma never led and trailed by at least nine points throughout the final 27 minutes. Sooners guards Tony Crocker and Austin Johnson appeared paralyzed by nerves as Ty Lawson, Wayne Ellington and Danny Green swarmed them defensively.

Keep in mind, this was the third consecutive regional final for all five North Carolina starters. It was the first for every Sooner.

OU forward Blake Griffin was brilliant with 23 points and 16 rebounds, but he wasn't remotely close to enough.

This is the Tar Heels' record 18th Final Four, their third under Roy Williams, who also coached Kansas to four Final Fours. With seven, Williams passes Denny Crum and Adolph Rupp on the all-time list behind John Wooden (12), Dean Smith (11) and Mike Krzyzewski (10).

Lawson scored 19 points and was named the regional's most outstanding player.

The Sooners missed all nine of their 3-point attempts in the first half and made only two for the game, a season-low. The 60 points were also a season worst for a team that rankes second nationally in field-goal percentage at 49.2

Oklahoma shot 44.4 Sunday, 36.4 percent in the decisive first half.

Carolina advances to Saturday's Final Four semifinal against Villanova. The Tar Heels defeated the Wildcats in the 2005 East Regional semis en route to the national championship.

Oklahoma coach Jeff Capel was 1-7 against North Carolina as a Duke player. He's 0-1 as a coach.

The Tar Heels won despite a pedestrian effort from All-American Tyler Hansbrough. He committed two early fouls, played just 26 minutes and finished with eight points and six rebounds.

Final Four relief

NCAA officials concerned about oceans of empty seats at next weekend's Final Four in Detroit just exhaled.

Michigan State's 64-52 dissection of Louisville in the Midwest Regional championship game, completed moments ago, just made the Final Four a tough ticket. The Spartans' East Lansing campus is about a 90-minute drive from Detroit.

The last school to play in a Final Four in its home state was Duke in 1994 in Charlotte, N.C.

The Blue Devils' starting point guard was Jeff Capel, who in about 30 minutes will coach Oklahoma against North Carolina for the last spot in Detroit. Michigan State, Connecticut and Villanova already are there.

Louisville's exit will quiet the Big East chatter inundating this tournament. Rather than match its record three Final Four teams of 1985, the Big East settles for UConn and Nova.

Two teams from the same conference advancing to the Final Four is common. It happened seven consecutive years from 1999-2006.

No doubt the Big East is having a benchmark year. The best season for any conference ever?

March 28, 2009

Capel would win the press conference

Selfish creatures that we are, media jackals are most drawn to the players and coaches who fill our notebooks, recorders and cameras with pithy observations and compelling narratives.

In that light, here’s a sampling from Oklahoma coach Jeff Capel’s news conference on the eve of Sunday’s NCAA South Regional final between his Sooners and North Carolina.

Capel, a North Carolina native, former Duke player and VCU head coach, has the professional chops to succeed as Virginia’s next coach, if the respective parties are interested in one another. And as you’ll see below, he’d damn sure win the press conference.

On choosing Duke instead of North Carolina: “I grew up a Carolina fan. I always (told) my mom and dad when I was younger, that when I grow up, I'm going to Carolina. The posters I had in my room as a young child were Carolina posters. Probably one of my favorites, there was a picture of Michael Jordan shooting a jump shot against N.C. State. It was picture perfect form, his legs were spread out, and it had ‘The Tradition Continues.’ I just thought that was incredible.

“Carolina was the first ACC school to start recruiting me, and it was the summer going into my 10th grade year. When I was in 10th grade, I was actually in Chapel Hill. I went to quite a few games. When I was younger, my father was a high school coach. I used to always go with my dad to Coach Smith's clinic.

“When I was younger, I used to go to a lot of games. My father would take me up to Carmichael and watch a lot of games. I was there when Kenny Smith broke his wrist against LSU. I was a Carolina fan. I thought that was where I was going to go until I met Coach K.

“The first time I had a conversation with Coach face to face is when I started to change a little bit and when I thought that that's the man I want to play for. … Really what it came down to was playing for Coach K. I wanted to play with Grant Hill. But then also, as a freshman, I thought it was more of an opportunity for me to play early. You know, Duke would be losing Thomas Hill and Bobby Hurley. While North Carolina would be returning Phelps and Donald Williams.”

On the influence of his dad and Coach Krzyzewski: “I have to be who I am. I'm not Coach K.
I'm not my dad. I'm me. So I have to have my own personality of who I am. It's actually one of the best pieces of advice that I got when I became a head coach at 27. Coach told me that. My dad told me that. And it's something that I've tried to do.

“It may be completely different from everyone. I remember my first recruiting trip when I was an assistant, I never went on the road. My first recruiting trip, I remember I was out. I don't like to tuck my shirt in … unless I'm wearing a suit or something. … And a coach actually in my league came up to me and said, ‘Hey, you're a head coach now. You have to tuck your shirt in.’ And I said, ‘Well, I thought head coaches get to do what they want to do.’

“So I have my way of doing things. It may not be what a 50-year-old guy or 55 or 45-year-old guy does. And I think the thing that concerns me and matters to me most is, number one, what my athletic director thinks, as long as he's happy. What my administration at OU thinks, as long as they're happy. And what our players and the kids we're recruiting think.”

More on his dad, also named Jeff, the former coach at Old Dominion and now a Charlotte Bobcats assistant: “That's the guy I've always wanted to be like. I was very fortunate that my hero was always at home. I wasn't one of these guys or one of these kids that grew up without a father. I didn't have to look to TV to say, ‘I want to be like this guy.’ I always wanted to be like my dad.”

On his brother, Jason, who played at North Carolina: “He's going to have on a red shirt tomorrow. It will be a red OU shirt, and he'll be cheering for us, which he should. I know a lot of Carolina people may not like that, but he was my brother before he was a Tar Heel. And he'll always be my little brother.”

On playing in the 1994 Southeast Regional final, when Duke defeated Purdue: “You know what? It was maybe the best game I played in college. I had a really good NCAA tournament that year as a freshman.

“I remember I thought Coach devised a great game plan against Glenn Robinson. The thing I remembered the most is we had beaten Marquette (in the semifinals), and Purdue beat Kansas in the second game. I remember walking out of the locker room after all the media stuff. … There was maybe about 10 minutes left in the second half. … Glenn Robinson had 30 in the first half. I think they were up 25, and he finished with 40. I remember thinking, right when we walked out, we were sitting right under the basket, and Glenn Robinson dunked on Greg Ostertag.

“I remember thinking at the end of the half, ‘How are we going to guard this guy?’ He was averaging like 32. He was like a man among boys. We actually did a really, really good job. Coach devised a great game plan, and we executed it. …

“I remember how I was nervous. I was excited, but it was a nervous excitement. And really
anxious. You know, for me, it was also a little bit more personal because the Final Four was in North Carolina [Charlotte] that year. So if we won, we got a chance to go back and play in the Final Four two hours, two and a half hours from where I grew up. It was really an exciting time.”

There you have it. Capel is 34, among Division I’s youngest head coaches. And to those of us who’s have known him for more than 10 years, he’s still a kid.

He’s also a future star in this biz, and Virginia would be lucky to have him.

Heytvelt's win came in the Preseason NIT, Hansbrough's in the NCAA South Regional semifinals.

Advantage, Hansbrough.

"It does feel good to win the game," Hansbrough said. "But also, I remember that game in New York when we got our tails beat pretty bad. You know, I was thinking about it in practices and things like that.

"I thought Heytvelt pretty much outplayed me there. It feels good to go and beat a team that's already beaten you once."

Heytvelt outscored Hansbrough 19-9 two years ago. Tonight it was 24-14, Hansbrough. Most telling, Hansbrough had 10 rebounds, Heytvelt none.

Keep in mind that Heytvelt is 6-foot-11 and averages a team-high 6.7 rebounds. So no rebounds?

"Off the top of my head, I don't know if I had one before this or not," Heytvelt said of a no-rebound game. "Tyler's a really good basketball player. And I don't think he played out of his mind. I think he had just a good game. Their entire team just played great."

Up next for Hansbrough, last season's player of the year, is Sunday's South final against Oklahoma's Blake Griffin, this season's PoY. The last time either I or my comrade Blair Kerkhoff of the Kansas City Star can remember two national players of the year colliding in the NCAAs was the 1974 Final Four semifinal between North Carolina State's David Thompson and UCLA's Bill Walton.

"I think for me personally, I just have to play my part within this team," Hansbrough said, "not try to force anything, let the game come to me. And just try to play good defense and get some rebounds. And eventually the offense will come."

Hansbrough's 24 points gave him 280 in his NCAA tournament career, tied for 11th all-time with Michigan's Juwan Howard. Duke's Christian Laettner owns the record with 407 points.

Laettner played in an astonishing 23 NCAA tournament games, one less than the maximum of 24 -- six each in four seasons. Hansbrough has played in 16.

If Gonzaga coach Mark Few is right, Hansbrough will play three more. Sunday and two next week at the Final Four in Detroit.

"It's just and I've said all along, if all 16 of us [regional semifinalists], if we all play at the top of our game, North Carolina wins the national championship," Few said. "I just feel like, when they're playing at their highest end, they're better than the rest of us."

While Hansbrough logged 34 minutes, point guard Ty Lawson played a tidy 27, contributing 19 points, nine assists, four rebounds and only one turnover. Coach Roy Williams, who publicly fretted about Lawson's injured right toe yesterday, said tonight that whirlpool treatments during the day had helped considerably.

Whatever. In his last two games, Lawson has 42 points, 15 assists and one turnover. The toe is a non-issue.

March 27, 2009

Gonzaga's Garden party

Gonzaga is 0-3 all-time in the NCAA basketball tournament against No. 1 seeds. But the Zags should not lack for confidence tonight when they collide with top-seeded North Carolina in a South Regional semifinal here in Memphis.

The source of that confidence? Two seasons ago Gonzaga defeated Carolina 82-74 at Madison Square Garden, and most of the key players remain.

"That game was definitely one I had to go in with a little chip on my shoulder," Heytvelt said yesterday, "knowing that he was and plays like one of the best players in the entire country. I had to try and match that."

"Last time we played them we were pretty young," Hansbrough said. "I think Ty Lawson is playing a lot better right now that he did back whenever it was we played them. ... Everybody talks about, oh, we have the same players, but we've all changed."

One thing that hasn't changed: the coaches. Gonzaga's Mark Few and North Carolina's Roy Williams are the only two active coaches with winning percentages higher than 80.

This is Gonzaga's fifth regional semifinal, but the Zags' only victory at this stage came in 1999, when they defeated Florida before losing to eventual national champion Connecticut in the West final.

Carolina is the ACC's last Final Four hope after Duke's loss to Villanova yesterday. If the Tar Heels stumble, the ACC would finish 5-7 in this tournament.

The last time the ACC had a losing tournament record was 1987, when its teams were 5-6.

Duke's demise

For the third time in four years, Duke’s NCAA basketball tournament ended the way you figured it would, with the post-poor Blue Devils losing amid flurries of missed 3-pointers.

For myriad reasons, Duke has failed to recruit and/or develop quality low-post scorers, placing too heavy a burden on its outside shooting. That flaw was obvious again last night, when Villanova smothered the Blue Devils 77-54 in the East Regional semifinals.

With the quicker, more athletic Wildcats contesting every perimeter move, Duke shot a season-worst 26.7 percent. Its best player, all-ACC wing Gerald Henderson, was 1-for-14. The Blue Devils missed 22 of 27 attempts from beyond the 3-point arc.

Afterward, coach Mike Krzyzewski lamented his team’s shortcomings inside and at point guard, where Jon Scheyer, a natural wing, was forced to play late in the season.

“It's not like we haven't tried to find them,” Krzyzewski said of recruiting bigs and a point. “A couple of them have gone to other schools right at the last second. We were like a three-headed monster [Henderson, Scheyer and Kyle Singler] on offense. And it carried us a long way, but it couldn't, they played a lot of five against three tonight.”

Indeed, Duke won 30 games and the ACC tournament. But this never was a Final Four squad and it was destined to exit like some of its recent predecessors.

Last season, the Blue Devils lost in the second round to West Virginia, like Villanova a more athletic Big East opponent. Duke shot 38 percent and missed 17 of 22 from deep.

In 2006, same story as LSU defeated the Blue Devils in a regional semi. Duke shot 27.7 percent, 5-of-26 on 3s. In his final college game, J.J. Redick was 3-of-18.

“I thought the last three years we've gotten better,” Krzyzewski told reporters in Boston last night. “And this year's team was really a good team. We faced a team that was probably one of the worst teams you could face, for us,
because they can defend in all five positions and switch and do a lot of the things we do, except they can handle the ball better. … And [power forward Dante] Cunningham is really good. … He’s had a great, great year and gives them a really strong, good presence.”

Krzyzewski needs to find a similarly strong inside presence for his team.

March 26, 2009

More from Memphis

Before heading to Beale Street for grub, music and basketball, not necessarily in that order, some additional South Regional fodder from Memphis for your dancing and dining pleasure:

North Carolina point guard Ty Lawson expects to start Friday against Gonzaga, but his injured right big toe remains an issue. Coach Roy Williams said this afternoon that Lawson rated himself about a six on a 1-10 scale, as compared to an eight for last week's second-round game against LSU in which Lawson scored 23 points.

"That's not encouraging to me," Williams said. "It's just something that's taking a long, long time to heal. ... This time it hasn't swollen, but it's been painful."

Oklahoma -- the Sooners play Syracuse in Friday's other semi -- coach Jeff Capel's brother, Jason, played for North Carolina from 1998-2002, and part of that experience has been relayed to the Sooners.

"My brother talks about his junior year at North Carolina," Capel said. "They were the No. 1 team in the country. They had won 18 games straight. They had just beaten Maryland, and then there was some friction on their team and things just kind of turned.

"And he says now that that still something that haunts him that he regrets to this day. So if you care about something, you certainly want to take advantage of it and you don’t want to live with any regrets.”

That 2001 season ended with the Tar Heels losing to Duke by 26 points in the ACC tournament and to Penn State in the second round of the NCAA tournament. One year later, Matt Doherty was out as head coach, and Williams had been summoned back to his alma mater from Kansas.

Speaking of coaching searches, Virginia's is generating beaucoup rumors online and in print. Among the latest: a mystery candidate touring John Paul Jones Arena late Tuesday night, and the Cavaliers offering the job to Texas' Rick Barnes.

According to informed sources, neither is true. As the coach at Providence in 1990, Barnes accepted the Virginia job, only to renege after returning home and conferring with then-Big East commissioner Dave Gavitt. The Cavaliers hired Jeff Jones.

A North Carolina native, Barnes would be a great get. But I'd be stunned were he interested in leaving Texas and Austin.

Like Texas, Oklahoma is a football school, and like the Longhorns, the Sooners have prospered in basketball, too.

“Everyone thinks of Oklahoma as a football school," Capel said. "As many times as you’ve won championships and everything, that’s what everybody sees. How would you look at Florida? They won back-to-back (basketball) championships a couple years ago. Couple of years ago the national championship game was Florida and Ohio State. What would you think of those two schools?

“So it can be done. It has been done and has been done at the University of Oklahoma for years. If you look at the rich tradition of our basketball program, it’s been very, very good.

“I can honestly say that until I took this job, I didn’t know of the complete history. I knew of some of the teams and I knew some of the players, but I didn’t know the basketball program has been as good as it has been through continuous years.”

Indeed, this is the Sooners' 13th NCAA tournament appearance in the last 15 years, and ninth Sweet 16 since 1979. Oklahoma advanced to the Final Four in 1939, '47, '88 and 2002.

March 25, 2009

Luck o' the Irish?

In his blog yesterday, ESPN's Andy Katz floated a name for Virginia's basketball coaching vacancy that we've been negligent in not mentioning.

Notre Dame's Mike Brey.

Negligent because four years ago, when Virginia last searched for a coach, we considered Brey an ideal candidate. Moreover, we said the same to Cavaliers athletic director Craig Littlepage during a conversation at the Final Four in St. Louis.

But by then Littlepage was set on DePaul's Dave Leitao, whom Virginia forced to resign earlier this month. Littlepage's disinterest then pushed Brey to our back burner now.

Still, his credentials are impressive. His teams have never advanced beyind the NCAA regional semifinals, but in 14 years as a head coach, five at Delaware and the last nine at Notre Dame, Brey has 13 winning seasons, seven NCAA bids and five NIT appearances.

A consensus top-15 team in preseason, Notre Dame lost seven consecutive games at midseason and landed in the NIT -- the Irish (20-14) host Kentucky in a quarterfinal tonight. Brey was Big East coach of the year in 2007 and '08, when the Irish made the NCAAs.

Brey, 49, knows the ACC region well. He hails from suburban D.C., attended DeMatha High and George Washington University, and served as an assistant to Mike Krzyzewski at Duke from 1987-95 -- the Blue Devils advanced to six Final Fours and won consecutive national titles during that stretch.

March 24, 2009

Aflutter about Anthony

Appeared on Jerry Miller's Charlottesville-based radio show this afternoon, and e-mailers were distressed that Alabama and perhaps Georgia are ahead of Virginia in courting VCU's Anthony Grant for their basketball coaching vacancies.

The T-squared take, for whatever it's worth: Remain calm. Grant is a few notches down on the Cavaliers' wish list.

The counter is obvious. If Grant was good enough for Florida two years ago, when Gators coach Billy Donovan accepted the Orlando Magic gig before reconsidering, how can he not be good enough for Virginia?

After all, in the ensuing two seasons he's confirmed the potential he flashed in his rookie year at VCU. His Rams have appeared in two NCAA tournaments and compiled a 76-25 record.

But here's the difference: As a two-time national champion, Florida was and is better positioned to hire someone who's never been a major conference head coach. Moreover, Grant is a former Gators assistant and knows the program like few others.

Conversely, Virginia is hurting and needs to hire as sure a thing as possible. That's why the Cavaliers are exploring whether the likes of Minnesota's Tubby Smith and Oklahoma's Jeff Capel are available.

If folks such as Smith and Capel prove unattainable, and if Grant heads to the SEC, then Virginia might be a loser here. But the Cavaliers have/had little choice but to chase larger fish.

One outrageous notion, offered just for grins: Were he and his Polish protege -- Duke's Mike Krzyzewski -- not so tight, might Bob Knight be intrigued by Virginia?

Say what you will -- and there's plenty to say -- about his stunts, but Knight has always preached and practiced the academic integrity Virginia values. Plus, he wins games, fills seats and knows Cavaliers football coach Al Groh -- Knight coached at Army during the late 1960s when Groh was an assistant there.

Knight is 68, and I wouldn't hire him. But Georgia interests him, and absent the Krzyzewski factor, Virginia certainly seems a better fit from his perspective.

March 23, 2009

The NCAA's chalk 16

Sixteen observations on the Sweet 16 of the NCAA basketball tournament.

Of the teams eliminated, none distinguished itself more than Siena, which defeated Ohio State in double-overtime and extended Louisville to the closing minutes. Saints coach Fran McCaffery graduated from Penn and worked there during the 1982-83 season as an assistant coach to Craig Littlepage. Now Virginia’s athletic director, Littlepage is searching for a coach, and if high-profile candidates such as Minnesota’s Tubby Smith and Oklahoma’s Jeff Capel don’t pan out, McCaffery would be worth a look.

Capel, Purdue’s Matt Painter and Arizona interim Russ Pennell are the lone coaches taking a team to the Sweet 16 for the first time. Moreover, each will match wits with a colleague who’s won a national title: Oklahoma plays Syracuse (Jim Boeheim); Purdue faces UConn (Jim Calhoun), and Arizona meets Louisville (Rick Pitino).

In Xavier’s two tournament victories, Bethel High graduate Jamel McLean continued to produce off the bench. He contributed five points and six rebounds in 17 minutes against Portland State, six points and four rebounds in 18 minutes versus Wisconsin. For the season, McLean, a 6-foot-8 sophomore, averages 4.4 points and 4.4 rebounds, and leads the Musketeers in field goal percentage at 59.0.

Xavier coach Sean Miller was the point guard on the 1991 Pitt team that advanced to the second round of the NCAAs. His Musketeers play Pitt in an East semi Thursday in Boston.

The Big East is the first conference with five regional semifinalists: Connecticut in the West, Louisville in the Midwest, Syracuse in the South, Pittsburgh and Villanova in the East. And Marquette nearly made it a six-pack before falling to Missouri.

The Big East is also the last conference to boast four in the regional semis, that in 2006. But the ACC used to do it routinely, eight times in the 12-year span from 1984 to ’95. That remarkable run may be untouchable.

If the Big East is the tournament’s big winner thus far, chalk isn’t far behind. Never have so many favorites survived the first weekend. The top three seeds advanced in each of the four regionals, a first. The others standing are two 4s, a 5 and a 12. And the 12, Arizona, is hardly an interloper on the national stage.

The seeds of the 16 survivors total 49, one less than the previous low established in 1989. Last year’s total, thanks to Villanova, Davidson and Western Kentucky, was 70. The high was 89 in 1986, when seedings weren’t nearly as precise.

High seeds advancing bailed out President Obama’s bracket. He has 14 teams left after a miserable first round.

Speaking of miserable, I have 10 teams remaining. At least my Final Four of Memphis, Louisville, Carolina and Pittsburgh are intact.

The only top four seed to lose in the first round was Wake Forest, to Cleveland State. Yet afterward Deacons coach Dino Gaudio was spinning about how much progress his team made from last season. Please.

Memphis has the longest current streak of Sweet 16s at four. Puts North Carolina’s record stretch of 13 from 1981-93 in context.

The South final could feature last season’s national player of the year, North Carolina’s Tyler Hansbrough, against this season’s, Oklahoma’s Blake Griffin.

A Villanova-Pitt championship game in the East would be the first regional final in seven years to match conference rivals. Oklahoma defeated Missouri in the 2002 West title contest.

March 21, 2009

Duke & Carolina save ACC

In desperate need of relief Saturday, ACC basketball turned to its best closers.

Playing in front of home folk in Greensboro, N.C., Duke and North Carolina did not disappoint.

The Blue Devils survived Texas in the second round of the NCAA tournament's East Regional 74-69. The Tar Heels defeated LSU 84-70 in the South Regional's second round.

After Maryland lost to Memphis earlier Saturday, Duke and Carolina were the last of the seven ACC tournament teams standing. Had they stumbled, too, the ACC would have been without a regional semifinalist for the first time since 1979 and Black Sunday, when the Tar Heels and Blue Devils lost NCAA games at Reynolds Coliseum in Raleigh.

The victory was Carolina's 98th in NCAA tournament play, matching Kentucky for most all-time. The Tar Heels are 27-1 in NCAA play in their home state and have won 22 straight.

Duke is 12-0 in NCAA games in Greensboro, 30-4 in North Carolina. When the Blue Devils face Villanova in the East semifinals Thursday, Mike Krzyzewski will coach his 93rd NCAA tournament, surpassing former North Carolina coach Dean Smith for most all-time.

The Tar Heels face Gonzaga in Friday's South semis in Memphis.

If Duke and Carolina both survive next weekend, they'll collide in a Final Four semifinal in Detroit. The Tar Heels and Blue Devils have met in the NCAA tournament.

Will the last one standing ...

Maybe we're being premature, but with Maryland down 23 to Memphis early in the second half, it's doubtful.

The ACC's seven-team NCAA basketball tournament contingent, matching the league's largest haul of bids, is now down to North Carolina and Duke.

So what else is new, right?

At least Maryland is getting shelled by a higher seed, a national championship contender in fact. Clemson, Wake Forest, Boston College and Florida State lost to lower seeds. Worse yet, only FSU was competitive throughout.

This is quite the dose for an ACC that touted this season as one of its finest ever.

In about an hour, Carolina tips off against LSU in the second round of the South Regional here in Greensboro, N.C. A half-hour after that game concludes, Duke faces Texas in an East Regional contest.

With or without Ty Lawson (toe), the Tar Heels should whip the Tigers. Carolina is too powerful inside with Tyler Hansbrough, Deon Thompson and Ed Davis, and shooting guard Wayne Ellington is playing the best basketball of his life.

The Blue Devils have a more difficult task in the Longhorns, but we're guessing the Dukies prevail, too. Elliot Williams, Gerald Henderson and friends will defend Texas' A.J. Abrams on the perimeter like few in the Big 12 could.

Nothing less than the ACC's 2009 legacy is at stake.

About 10 minutes to tip now, appears Lawson will play some. Wearing sneaker on his right foot instead of boot. CBS, which usually has inside dope, expects him to go.

ACC's first-round flop

Nothing like a little bracket carnage to keep one humble.

Yesterday, we came within an Eric Maynor jumper of perfection. Sixteen NCAA tournament games, 15 winners, marred only as midnight approached, when VCU’s Maynor missed a last-second jumper that would have beaten UCLA.

Today, not so good. Today, more losses (eight) than a L.A. Clippers road trip.

Utah State? Fell by one against Marquette, but still a credible pick.

West Virginia? So much for paying homage to Mom’s home state. The Mountaineers trailed Dayton from the outset.

Temple? What the hell were we thinking? Arizona State and Herb Sendek — think N.C. State fans would like him back? — were large and in charge.

Wake Forest? From No. 1 in late January to first-round flop. The Deacs didn’t just lose to Cleveland State, they declined to compete. Unacceptable. Anyone else anticipating defections to the NBA?

Ohio State? The Buckeyes lost a virtual home game in Dayton when Siena’s Ronald Moore hit a 3-pointer to force double-overtime and another to win .

Florida State? Toney Douglas got no offensive help in an overtime loss to Wisconsin.

The latter two games concluded well after midnight, and CBS’ toggling between them made for far better late-night viewing than Barack on Leno.

Notice a trend here? Yes, our mighty ACC spit the bit like a nag in the last furlong. An 0-3 Friday with Wake, FSU and BC, each a higher seed by the way, left the league 3-4 in round one and harkened memories of two years ago. That’s when only one of the ACC’s seven tournament teams, North Carolina, survived the first weekend, the conference’s lamest showing since 1979.

Meanwhile, as we prepare for round two Saturday and Sunday, Big 12 teams are 6-0, Big East 6-1, Pac-10 5-1 and Big Ten 4-3.

March 20, 2009

Carolina's Tys

Just departed the North Carolina locker room, where the Tar Heels were preparing to practice for tomorrow's second-round NCAA game here in Greensboro against LSU.

Injured point guard Ty Lawson (toe) sat atop a examination table and explained to waves of media that he won't know his status for tomorrow until game time. He was hoping to practice this afternoon -- that session is closed to our prying eyes.

"You guys put too much emphasis on one toe," All-America forward Tyler Hansbrough hazed reporters. "We've been playing without Ty for a long time."

Only three games actually. Two in the ACC tournament, and yesterday's first-round rout of Radford.

Hansbrough became the ACC's career scoring leader yesterday, and among those who called with congratulations was the man whose record he broke: former Duke All-American and current Orlando Magic reserve J.J. Redick.

"He told me it was a big deal for him when he broke the record," Hansbrough said. "He said he expected me to break it before the season."

Hansbrough insisted he takes no satisfaction in surpassing a Dukie.

"I respect the guy, man," Hansbrough said. "He's a good player."

Hansbrough has 2,789 career points.

LSU's players talked about what Lawon's presence means for Carolina.

"The main thing that he does that the other guards don't do as much, he's averaging 6.5 assists," Garrett Temple said. "I think the other two [Bobby Frasor and Larry Drew II] combined are averaging 2.5, 3. He pushes the ball well because of his speed. I don't think they can match his speed."

Another Clemson swoon

Clemson’s first-round NCAA tournament exit to Michigan last night makes this the third consecutive season the Tigers wilted late, and coach Oliver Purnell didn’t try to surgarcoat it.

“I told the guys, ‘You've had a solid year but it's not good enough for me. I don't think that's good enough for the program. I don't think that's good enough for you,’” Purnell said.

Two years ago Clemson was the last Division I team to lose, storming through the non-conference schedule. But the Tigers went 7-9 in the ACC, lost in the first round of the conference tournament and were relegated to the NIT.

Last year Clemson went 10-6 in the ACC and advanced to the league tournament final for the first time since 1962. But the Tigers lost to Villanova in the first round of the NCAAs.

This year more of the same. Clemson opend 16-0, lost three of its last four regular-season games, fell in the first round of the ACC to last-place Georgia Tech and then lost to Michigan. Purnell is 0-5 as an NCAA tournament coach, 0-2 with the Tigers.

“I hope (the seniors) learned a lot in terms of team and consistency and those kinds of things as they go off to play for somebody else or they go off into business,” Purnell said. “But from a program standpoint, we can't be satisfied. Got a lot of guys coming back, got some guys coming in and we're just not satisfied with having a solid year. We want to have a great year.”

Clemson loses senior starters K.C. Rivers and Raymond Sykes but expects to return its best player, forward Trevor Booker. Returning guards such as Demontez Stitt, Andre Young and Terrence Oglesby (ejected last night for throwing a flagrant elbow) must improve for the Tigers to avoid more March disappointment.

Duke-Texas preview

Texas has lost 11 games this season, most for the program in four years. But if the Longhorns can play as well against Duke on Saturday as they did earlier tonight against Minnesota, they have a chance to reach the NCAA tournament regional semifinals for the sixth time this decade.

Texas whipped the Golden Gophers 76-62 here in Greensboro and showed the bulk and athleticism that fueled victories this season over Notre Dame, UCLA, Villanova and Oklahoma, all ranked at the time.

While guard A.J. Abrams made eight 3-pointers and scored a game-high 26 points, the most imposing Longhorn was 6-foot-10, 298-pound (not a typo) Dexter Pittman. He scored 17 points and snared a game-high 11 rebounds.

He’s just the type of player who can give undersized Duke fits. Of course, his effectiveness is limited if Abrams is not making 3s.

“I don’t think anyone (we played) was as strong and aggressive as Pittman,” Minnesota’s Damian Johnson said. “I mean, he’s a monster in the paint. He’s real physical. Once he gets into the lane, he’s trouble for anyone.

“The closest player that we faced all year was (Samardo) Samuels from Louisville, and I don’t think he’s half as strong as Pittman.”

Meanwhile, Duke did what No. 2 seeds are supposed to in the first round, dusting Binghamton, 86-62 in a game that just ended. This in stark contrast to last season, when the second-seeded Blue Devils were lucky to escape Belmont 71-70.

Duke led by only 11 at the break but opened the second half with a 17-2 binge and led by as many as 30 Six Blue Devils scored in double figures, led by Jon Scheyer’s 15.

“I thought they knocked us back a little bit” in the first half,” Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski said. "I thought there were large portions of the first half, not that we weren't playing hard, but where they were playing harder."

Most encouraging for Duke: Nolan Smith (13 points, four assists) played his best game since returning from a concussion; Lance Thomas scored 14 points, his most since he had 21 a November blowout of Duquesne; freshman Elliot Williams (11 points, four boards, four assists and no turnovers) played superbly in his first NCAA tournament game.

“They continued to put un in a position where we had to make the extra pass, and our guys did that,” Krzyzewski said.

Indeed, Duke had 21 assists on 28 field goals.

Brian Zoubek, Duke’s 7-1, 280-pounder, did not play until the final five minutes, but here’s guessing he sees more time Saturday, if only to lean on Pittman in the paint.

One last Duke note: Here's a link to a fun interview with Blue Devils junior Gerald Henderson conducted by former DP staffer Jason Jordan.

March 19, 2009

Showing Tubby some love?

Dirk Katstra, the University of Virginia's top athletics fund-raiser, attended first-round NCAA basketball tournament games here in Greensboro, N.C. today.

Virginia is searching for a basketball coach, and Minnesota's Tubby Smith is at or near the top of U.Va.'s wish list. Smith's Golden Gophers are playing Texas here as I type. Winning by two midway through the first half.

Sheer coincidence that Katstra, a former Cavaliers basketball player, is here, too? Or might he be showing Smith and/or his representatives how serious U.Va. is about pursuing him?

As one semi-loyal reader answered, "You report, I decide."

I spied Katstra in the stands during the Radford-North Carolina game, wearing Radford red in fact, and sitting adjacent to Virginia Tech coach Seth Greenberg, brother of Radford coach Brad Greenberg. Katstra is not in that same seat now -- just returned from checking -- but certainly could be elsewhere in the arena.

Curious to find out weather Virginia athletic director Craig Littlepage and his top lieutenant, Jon Oliver, are scouting other possible candidates at other tournament sites.

POTUS picks

Some early tournament observations as North Carolina concludes its 101-58 first-round demolition of Radford here in Greensboro, N.C.

Guessing by now you've seen President Obama's bracket online and/or on SportsCenter. Cool that he did it and risked irritating folks who take this stuff far too seriously. But come on, Mr. Prez, show some guts.

We've heard you called a progressive, radical, liberal and even a socialist. But your picks are more conservative than Rush and his Dittoheads.

In his Sweet 16, Obama has no team seeded lower than fifth. The 5s he has are Florida State -- smart choice, actually -- and Purdue.

But where are the true underdogs? The double-digit seeds?

Obama's final eight includes seven top-two seeds and a No. 3 in Syracuse. His Final Four has three No. 1s and Memphis, which matches mine. He's got Carolina over Louisville in the final -- I like Pitt over Memphis.

For what it's worth, I gambled on West Virginia, Utah State and Temple to make the regional semis.

Here in Greensboro, SEC player of the year Marcus Thornton's 30 points, six rebounds, four assists and four steals lifted LSU over Butler 75-71. Good as he is, don't think the Tigers will have much for the Tar Heels in round two Saturday, especially inside.

Does Tubby make sense?

See where our DP online poll has Minnesota's Tubby Smith running third behind VCU's Anthony Grant and Oklahoma's Jeff Capel as the most likely new basketball coach at Virginia.

That means most voters don't believe he'd take the job, or that U.Va. would be able to close the deal.

No one can be sure, but let's try to get inside both parties' heads. A dubious exercise, to be sure, but hey, that's what we do here in the blogosphere.

First, Virginia. If Smith is interested, school officials would be crazy not to engage. He's a superb strategist and proven recruiter. He won a national title at Kentucky, albeit with Rick Pitino's players, and with Minnesota in this year's NCAA tournament, Smith has made the tourney 15 times in 18 seasons as a head coach, losing in the first round only once.

Smith turns 58 in June, and Virginia would need assurances that he plans to work at least five more years and has the energy for another rebuilding project. The last thing the Cavaliers need is a short-timer, which is what Smith would be at Minnesota -- this is his second season -- and was at Georgia -- two years there before heading to Kentucky.

There's also the matter of money. Is Virginia willing to match or exceed Smith's Minnesota compensation? His seven-year deal is worth a minimum of $13 million, but with incentives he can make north of $3 million a year.

Given the economy, can Virginia afford the money and public-relations fallout such a contract would create? Given the moribund state of the basketball program, can Virginia afford not to ante up?

My guess is some well-heeled donors could solve the $$$ issue.

Now, Smith. Are Virginia, the ACC and temperate Charlottesville more appealing than Minnesota, the Big Ten and frigid Minneapolis?

There's no questioning the Gophers are in better shape than the Cavs. This is their second consecutive 20-win season, the roster includes only two seniors -- one of whom starts -- and four touted recruits are signed for next season.

Moreover, it's easier to win in the Big Ten. Michigan State and Ohio State are the conference bigfoots, with Wisconsin not far behind. Michigan is progressing, and Tom Crean figures to eventually upgrade Indiana. But there's no North Carolina-Duke axis lording over the league as in the ACC.

That said, maybe the challenge of competing against Duke's Mike Krzyzewski, Carolina's Roy Williams and Maryland's Gary Williams appeals to Smith. Perhaps he and his Southern-rooted family are uncomfortable in the Midwest.

Were Smith not interested, Virginia officials would be foolish not to push back against the rampant media reports. They don't want fans expecting something they can't deliver.

That Virginia officials have not warned us off the story leads me to believe Smith has indicated some degree of curiosity. Not directly, mind you. These things are done through agents, intermediaries and head-hunters.

Of course, we've seen this dance before. Smith and Virginia flirted four years ago before Smith elected to remain at Kentucky. The Cavaliers then hired DePaul's Dave Leitao.

Is the timing better in 2009? With Minnesota -- the Gophers play Texas tonight -- unlikely to make a deep tournament run, we should know soon.

Four years ago I considered Smith-to-Virginia a preposterous notion. This time not so much.

March 18, 2009

Tubby speaks

The word "Virginia" was not spoken, but Minnesota basketball coach Tubby Smith was asked a few minutes ago about having his name linked this week to another job.

That job, of course, is Virginia's. Smith appeared at a NCAA tournament news conference in Greensboro, N.C. as his Gophers prepared for their first-round game Thursday against Texas.

We'll interpret and parse Smith's remarks later, but wanted to post them ASAP for your digestion.

“I have a job,” he said. “I have a great job. We’re enjoying Minnesota. We have no reason to be looking at anything else, and I’m very happy where we are.

“So it certainly is flattering sometimes, but it can be a distraction. The thing is, we’ve gotten our recruiting done early, and that, hopefully, it’s good to be wanted.

“But it’s more important to be needed. I feel like I’m not only wanted in Minnesota, but needed there as well.”

Much more in the DP fishwrap version Thursday. That story also is posted on the Web.

One last remark from Smith, this on Minnesota freshman forward Ralph Sampson III, son of the former Virginia All-American. Sampson averages 6.3 points and starts.

"Ralph Sampson III is really one of the bright surprise I can't say surprises. Because the expectation was he would play. We knew we needed front line help immediately, and both he and Colton Iverson as freshmen have done as well as we could expect. And he's growing and improving every day. ...

"I had the good fortune to coach against Ralph Sampson when he was at Virginia, when I
was at Virginia Commonwealth University with J.D. Barnett back in the early '80s. I coached against him three times. I don't think I ever seen a greater athlete as far as in college basketball than Ralph Sampson. His agility, he was just graceful. At that size, 7' 4", to do the things he could do.

"And Ralph Sampson III, not as tall. About 6' 10", 6' 11", but he has good basketball skills. A great understanding, good understanding of the game. You know, it's going to take time as he matures and the body starts to develop in the weight room. He's going to be something
special."

One final note on Virginia: Oklahoma's Jeff Capel, another coach on UVa's wish list, was not asked about the Cavaliers' vacancy during his NCAA news conference today in Kansas City, Mo.

March 15, 2009

Bracket gazing

Three No. 1 seeds for the the Big East, and seven teams each from the ACC, Big East and Big Ten.

That's the down-and-dirty of the 65-team NCAA men's basketball tournament bracket just unveiled.

Maryland was the lone question in the ACC, but the Terps received a 10 seed, indicating they were not among the final teams chosen by the 10-member selection committee.

Virginia's two teams have contrasting draws. Big South champion Radford, a 16th seed, has little chance of challenging No. 1 seed North Carolina in Greensboro, N.C. But 11th-seeded VCU is going to beat sixth-seeded UCLA, which has made the last three Final Fours, in the opening round in Philadelphia. Book it. The Bruins will have trouble scoring inside if VCU sophomore Larry Sanders avoids fouls.

Speaking of 16s, they are 0-96 in 24 previous tournaments under the current format. If chalk again holds this season, it will be an even 0-100.

Arizona is part of the tournament for the 25th consecutive year, two shy of North Carolina's record 27, set from 1975-2001. But the NCAA does not recognize the Wildcats' streak because their 1998 appearance was vacated for rules issues.

Having two No. 1 seeds from the same conference is quite common -- it's happened six times this decade. But three -- Connecticut, Pittsburgh and Louisville -- are a record.

If teams such as Penn State, St. Mary's and Creighton wonder why they didn't make the field, they can look no further than Temple, Southern California, Mississippi State and Cleveland State. Those surprise conference tournament champions earned automatic bids and placed locks such as Xavier, Arizona State, Tennessee and Butler into the at-large pool.

Mississippi State won four games in four days to earn its bid, and its reward is a Thursday game three time zones away in Portland, Ore., against nearby Washington. Ouch.

Grading the Teel field forecast: Had 33 of the 34 at-larges correct after adjusting this afternoon for Mississippi State's victory. Had Penn State instead of Arizona but can muster no outrage at the disagreement.

The teams had similar profiles, but Arizona's non-conference schedule was rated 72nd, Penn State's 307th. The Nittany Lions had 11 wins over teams rated 200th or lower, the Wildcats just four.

I had the four No. 1 and 2 seeds correct, three of the No. 3s and 4s. Not a bad effort.

March 13, 2009

Field forecast 3

This afternoon’s ACC tournament loss to North Carolina all but squashed Virginia Tech’s NCAA tournament hopes. Results elsewhere tonight may have finished the job.

The Hokies’ lone hope was for most, if not all, other NCAA contenders to spit the bit. Didn’t happen.

South Carolina’s loss to Mississippi State in the SEC tournament helped, as did Kentucky’s demise in the same event.

But Maryland’s victory over Wake Forest here at the ACC prom elevated the Terps well above the Hokies in the food chain. Same goes for Temple’s upset of Xavier and Duquesne's of Dayton in the Atlantic 10 tournament, Baylor's of Texas in the Big 12, and San Diego State's of BYU in the Mountain West.

At 18-14, Tech would have equaled the record for losses by an at-large selection. The panel has chosen six teams with 14 defeats, first Kansas State (17-14) in 1990, most recently Arizona (19-14) last season.

Finally, quick props to former Virginia coach Jeff Jones, who this afternoon guided his American Eagles to their second consecutive Patriot League championship and automatic NCAA bid. Top-seeded American defeated second-seeded Holy Cross 73-57 in the conference tournament final.

Of the 34 available at-large bids, 30 appear set. As many as a dozen teams are candidates for the remainder, with Virginia Tech among the unlikeliest of the bunch.

Records of 2-9 against the top 50 and 6-12 against the top 100 simply aren't as good as the competition.

Question is, would the Hokies have any chance if they lost? I'm guessing slim, in part because of Thursday's results in other conference tournaments.

For example, Minnesota, Michigan and Penn State won in the Big Ten to all but secure their spots in the NCAA field. That means eight Big Ten teams, which will outrage many, but remember, the selection committee does not consider conference affiliation.

In the Mountain West, another NCAA contender, San Diego State, defeated Nevada-Las Vegas, while in the SEC fence-sitter Florida whipped Arkansas.

The good news for Tech fans: losses by Rhode Island in the Atlantic 10, Providence in the Big East and Arizona in the Pacific 10. One or more of those teams could still make the field, but their hopes clearly were diminished.

Comrade Wood blogged earlier that even if Lawson takes a powder, he couldn't see the committee denying the Hokies if they won. Again depending on results elsewhere, methinks he's 99 percent right.

The primary reason: If Tech wins, five of its six most impressive victories (Clemson, Carolina, Wake Forest and both Miamis) would have come away from Cassell Coliseum. The exception is the Hokies' home win against Boston College.

The selection committee smiles upon teams that win away from home.

Oh, and if you're wondering how damaging the Hokies' 7-9 ACC regular-season record is: The selection panel has chosen six teams this decade with losing conference records, most recently Arizona last year and Arkansas in 2007.

The only such possibilities this season appear to be Tech and Maryland. Like the Hokies against North Carolina, the Terps could improve their chances exponentially by defeating Wake Forest in tomorrow's third ACC quarterfinal.

March 11, 2009

Field forecast 1

Welcome to the first of what figures to be several updates this week on the NCAA men's basketball tournament field, which will be revealed Sunday evening on CBS.

With six teams -- North Carolina, Wake Forest, Duke, Florida State, Clemson and Boston College -- bolted onto the bracket, the ACC hopes to add one or two, with Virginia Tech, Miami and Maryand the primary contenders.

Question is, which is best positioned entering the conference tournament that tips manana in Atlanta?

Were I selecting the field today, none of the three would make the cut. The Hokies have lost six of their last seven, albeit against a grueling schedule; the Terps dropped their regular-season finale at 11th-place Virginia, and the Hurricanes gagged in their penultimate game at last-place Georgia Tech.

Not what you'd call inspiring finishes.

This morning's Collegerpi.com ratings have Miami 52nd, Virginia Tech 63rd and Maryland 67th. But I'm going to be contrary and say that the Terps boast the best credentials -- as of now. Here's why.

First, Maryland split with Miami and beat Virginia Tech in their sole meeting. Hokies faithful will counter that the game was in College Park, but the fact is Tech was no better at home this season than on the road.

Second, while Miami (0-2) and Virginia Tech (0-1) were winless against regular-season champ North Carolina, Maryland split with the Tar Heels.

Third, unlike the Hokies and Hurricanes, the Terps have a signature non-conference victory. They whipped Michigan State on a neutral court

Miami's best non-league win was at No. 78 Kentucky. Virginia Tech's was over No. 94 Fairfield in Puerto Rico.

Maryland has more top-100 victories (eight) than Miami (seven) and Virginia Tech (seven). The Terps also played the strongest non-conference schedule of the three.

But the ACC tournament could render those points moot.

As fate would have it, Miami and Virginia Tech collide in the opening round tomorrow at noon, with the loser surely NIT-bound. The winner faces North Carolina on Friday, and here's where the plot thickens like Granny's gravy.

Tar Heels point guard Ty Lawson, the ACC's freshly minted player of the year, has a jammed big toe on his right foot. He is questionable for Friday, and the last thing North Carolina wants to do is compromise him for the NCAA tournament.

This, by the way, is one reason I'm picking Florida State to win the ACC tournament. The Seminoles and Tar Heels are bracketed to play in the semifinals, and I just wonder how motivated Carolina and its gimpy guard will be to play three games in three days.

Back to Friday's quarterfinal. With Lawson either sidelined or at less than full strength, the Miami-Virginia Tech winner will have better than a puncher's chance at a victory that might well send them into the NCAA field -- if, that is, the selection committee does not devalue the win because of Lawson's situation.

Meanwhile, Maryland plays North Carolina State tomorrow. Clearly the Terps must win, which would pit them against Wake Forest on Friday.

Not a good matchup for Maryland. Yes, the Terps challenged the Deacons in a 65-63 home loss last week, but on a neutral court, Wake's size advantage will be difficult to overcome.

For what it's worth, it appears 28 pf the 34 available at-large NCAA bids are spoken for. That includes one for Butler, which lost to Cleveland State last night in the Horizon League final.

For the final six slots, I like Penn State, Nevada-Las Vegas, Michigan and Arizona. Let's leave the last two vacant to account for the inevitable conference tournament zaniness ahead.

We'll update you continually from the ACC tournament in Atlanta. If we've confused, enraged or engaged you, please let us know.

March 9, 2009

Beware VCU

They figure to draw a marquee opponent. Perhaps your alma mater, or your sister-in-law's. Or maybe one with stylish unis or clever mascot.

Doesn't matter.

No matter what logic you employ when filling out your NCAA basketball tournament bracket, for entertainment purposes only of course, pick against VCU's Rams in the first round, and beyond even, at your own peril.

The Rams (24-9) earned their spot in the field Monday night with a 71-50 demolition of George Mason in the Colonial Athletic Association tournament final at Richmond Coliseum. They were as impressive as the margin, the largest in CAA title-game annals, indicates.

Specifically, senior point guard Eric Maynor and sophomore forward Larry Sanders were. If ever two beat five, they did tonight.

Sanders, 6-foot-10 with an even wider wingspan, owned the interior with 18 points and championship-game records of 20 rebounds and seven blocked shots. His 40 rebounds for the tournament break the event record set by a former Navy center named David Robinson -- perhaps you've heard of him.

"He basically created a psychological barrier for us," Mason coach Jim Larranaga said of Sanders.

Indeed, Darryl Monroe and Louis Birdsong, the Patriots' starting forwards, combined for six points and two rebounds on 1-of-9 shooting. Their per-game norms were a combined 17.6 points and 11.6 rebounds.

Meanwhile, Maynor, the CAA's two-time player of the year and tournament MVP, controlled
the pace, orchestrated the offense and finished with 25 points, eight assists and two steals. He scored 10 points in a 3:10 stretch midway through the first half as the Rams seized control.

No offense to the other Rams. They are serviceable mid-major players. But Maynor and Sanders are potential NBA talents, and darn few, if any, double-digit seeds in the NCAA field will boast a better 1-2 combination.

Sitting courtside next to the ESPN2 broadcast team, I asked analyst Kevin Grevey, a former NBA player and Kentucky alum, if he considered Maynor and Sanders legitimate pro prospects. He did not hesitate.

"Yes."

Moreover, Maynor and coach Anthony Grant know what it's like to win in the NCAA tournament. Two years ago they led 11th-seeded VCU to a first-round upset of Duke before falling to Pittsburgh in overtime.

The Rams won't exit quietly in 2009, either. They're a likely 12 or 13 seed, meaning they'll draw a 5 or a 4 seed in the first round.

"We're not done yet," Maynor said. "We're not satisfied with just the CAA tournament. We're going into the NCAA tournament and we're expecting to win."